The Big Circle

Is Ophichius Asmodeus? The salamanders, symbols of fire and serpents? holding the serpent above his head, the serpent notating water?

60 seconds in a minute
60 minutes in an hour
12 hours in the AM (ante meridian)
12 hours in the PM (post meridian)
24 hours in a day
28 days in a lunar cycle
30.42 days in a month
30.5 days in a leap year month
365 days in a year
366 days in a leap year
12 months in a year
7 days in a week
52 weeks in a year
10 years in a decade
40 years in a generation
100 years in a century
1,000 years in a millennium
1,250 years in an age
Cycles: Seasons, Years, and Ages
The Art of Inversion of the Elements
In order: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces and don’t forget the Milky Way
1:00 Aquarius: the Water Bearer Cometh
Revelations 4:7 states "and the first living creature like a lion (Leo), and the second living creature like a calf (Taurus), and the third living creature having the face as of a man (Aquarius), and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle (Scorpio)."  These are the fixed signs of the zodiacs in the order of the ages, starting with the Lion of Judah. Leo is the eighth house; Taurus is the fifth; Aquarius is the second; and Scorpio is the eleventh: 8-5-2-11. Does Revelation of the Mystery of the Cross allude to this? Firmly fixed, versus transitory in nature: Aquarius’ annual progression versus a planetary enigma or comet mistaken for a star?

Jesus was born at the Winter Solstice under the sign of Capricorn, which commences at the 0 degree mark. The Age of Aquarius begins its commencement at the 30 degree mark. As such, it should be remembered that Jesus began his ministry at the age of 30 (Luke 3:23), or at the beginning of the Age of Aquarius (30 degrees). Aquarius as the water bearer denotes the baptism of the sun marking the beginning of the rainy season, just as John the Baptist is symbolic of the baptism of Jesus the son by water marking the beginning of Jesus’s mission. During this time the sun is also increasing, travelling higher in the sky towards the Summer Solstice. A result of the sun’s resurgence is that snows start to melt in the uplands, which washes down to the lower streams and lakes, thus marking the beginning of the annual inundation of rivers such as the Nile and Jordan. After the water baptism of Jesus as the Sun, Jesus goes on about his mission, leaving John the Baptist, just as the Sun leaves Aquarius in order to transit into Pisces while Aquarius slips below the horizon. This correlates to John the Baptist as he is put into prison (Matthew 4:12) and beheaded shortly after baptizing Jesus, for the last portion of Aquarius to slip below the horizon, is his head. John as Aquarius must decrease in order for Jesus as the sun to increase (proceed) into Pisces. As such, when Jesus heard that John was placed in prison, instead of attempting to win John’s release, he proceeded to the Galilee, which means “circuit”, in reference to the circuit signified by the ecliptic upon which the zodiacs and seasons progress through the year.  

John the Baptist is often shown as seated or crouching, just as Aquarius does in the night sky, accentuating one thigh. Is there an allusion to this in the crouching demon and Christ in Rennes le Chateau?

According to John 1:29, John the Baptist sees Jesus and exclaims, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." This would, in turn be in reference to the Pascal Ram Aires, who comes at the Vernal Equinox. However it is John the Baptist who is often depicted in artwork as being accompanied by a Ram or a Lamb at his feet, just as Aquarius towers over Aires in the night sky. Since John the Baptist had no further contact with Jesus beyond his time in Aquarius, it should be realized that John should have alluded to Jesus and the zodiac Pisces, not Aires, as Pisces is the next house through which Jesus would have to transit after Aquarius. This may seem insignificant, until it is realized that Jesus is likewise symbolized by the Pisces symbol Ichthys, which would have been a more befitting announcement by John in reference to the next house immediately following Aquarius in the zodiacs. Pisces was the Age which Jesus came to herald, so why would the scriptures make Pisces seem insignificant? 
John sinks “below the waters” and is undone by the two fish of Pisces?

  The New Testament writers made a significant error regarding overlooking Pisces in favor of Aires in several references regarding the Lamb of God and fire… or did they? Jesus was said to be the one to come, whom will baptize with fire. Jesus and John were “born” to the two different solstices in the solar aspect, each thus symbolizing a different solstice: likewise they were born to two different zodiacal ages: John the previous age (Aires), and Jesus the new age (Pisces), which is why the New testament minimizes Pisces in order to accentuate Aries since the people of the time were familiar with the Age of the Ram (Aires) yet largely ignorant of the then-embryonic Age of Pisces.

It should be remembered that there are several different aspects to the zodiacs. First there is the solar year in reference to the Houses of the zodiacs; and then there is the Great Year, in reference to the Ages of the zodiacs. At the time credited as being when Jesus’ birth took place, the Age of Pisces had just begun. However, just previous to such time, the Age was Aires, a fire sign to which Jesus was often errantly assimilated. Whereas John the Baptist symbolized the House of Aquarius in the solar year, he likewise symbolized the Age of Aires in Great Year. As the completed or perfected labor of the former age, it is easily realized that he was said to be born before Jesus, and as such had to symbolically decrease in order that Jesus increase. As such, the Ram of Aires is symbolized as the Paschal Lamb, to be sacrificed at the end of its age for the sins of mankind. 

John 1:29 is miswritten, as it is written that John the Baptist is speaking of Jesus (as the sun). When John the Baptist sees the sun waxing into the Age of Pisces he exclaims, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" in reference not to Jesus, but to himself. John’s sacrifice was not merely singular, but two-fold: he waned as the House of Aquarius for the sake of the sun’s transit into the House of Pisces in the solar year aspect, and likewise waned as the Age of Aires for the sake of the Age of Pisces. John the Baptist as Aquarius was “beheaded” for the sake of the sun’s progress, and John the Baptist as Aires was sacrificed as the Paschal lamb to take away the sin of man (that had occurred under the Age of Aires).

The Agnus Dei (the invocation to the Lamb of God) is sung or recited in the Mass of the Roman Rite and also in the Eucharist of the Anglican Communion, the Lutheran Church, and the Western Rite of the Orthodox Church. It reads as follows: “Lamb of God, you who take away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. Lamb of God, you who take away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. Lamb of God, you who take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.” This invocation compliments the birth announcement to Zechariah of the impending birth of John the Baptist in Luke 1:76-79: “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God, when the day shall dawn upon us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” Note the use of the word “peace” in ending both passages. Note also the contradiction regarding light between the previous verse and what follows: John 1:6-7 “There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light.”  Luke speaks of John the Baptist giving light, whereas John speaks of John the Baptist testifying to the light. The reason for this disharmony, is that Jesus epitomizes Solar Worship through the stages of the year, whereas John the Baptist personifies the celestial manifestation of the divine Grace of God throughout the ages. 

As thousands of resources attest, there have been many Christ-figures created as the centerpieces of solar cults throughout the world even prior to the biblical Jesus, and many of which were purely non-historical personifications of the sun itself, often fabricated as pseudo-points of reference regarding lines of earthly rulers. Akhenaten attempted to turn Egyptian religion into a Solar Cult; many rulers  (including the “Christian” Emperor Constantine) were assimilated with the Sol Invictus (Unconquered Sun); Solomon’s very name betrays his assimilation with the sun (Sol), as does the new Testament Paul’s true name (Saul). The differentiation is that in Solar Mythology, which by its very nature must be based upon idolatry, the central figure is not one who ascends upward out of mortal trappings to become one with God, but is rather one who claims to be a form of God manifest on earth, and therefore claims by pseudo-divine birthright to be entitled to rule over the earth. This is why the churches, media and leaders today do not dare mention the fact that we are entering into a new age, because so long as we are locked ignorantly into the routine that keeps them in dominance over us, they can continue to rule over us through manipulation, ignorance and cruelty.

While Solar Worship can be construed as monotheistic, it likewise excludes all of the essential essences of the divine creator beyond the sun and debases the whole of creation in favor of the mundane influences of a single star, through which we are fooled into believing our ultimate spiritual salvation is singularly dependent. Solar worship has made mankind week and ignorant to the true totality of divinity which we are led to believe we are not worthy of on our own.

The First shall be the Last: the one who begins an age, is the same one who comes at the end of that age to reap what he has sown. This is alluded to by the gardener traditions. Each Age is a growing season. Allusions to previous Ages that are superimposed upon the current Age are idolatrous in nature.

He is to be of two distinct lineages: one of the political, and one of the spiritual. In the New Testament, Jesus is linked to “King David” via his mother, as implied to priesthood through his mother’s cousin Elizabeth, whom is married to Zechariah the fire priest.

The media is a branch of the political. They distort and even create issues in order to manipulate public sentiment. Media is propaganda used by government to subvert the liberties of mankind to the benefit of a select few. This is slavery in Egypt. They subvert truth with lies in order to create a false dependency while pretending to serve our best interest in order to keep us transfixed on illusions and ignorant of truth. Governments use the media to forward their agendas. The media is the Whore of Babylon, and the beast is the government whom she serves.
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Aquarius is down in the underworld, where the dead are, or is figuratively "put in prison". Some months later, if you wait a few hours after sunset, you'll see Aquarius poking its head up above the eastern horizon, rising from the underworld, and it appears as if Aquarius is being beheaded by the horizon. Aquarius figuratively "rises from the dead" and is beheaded by the night eastern horizon. Lazarus – John was to be called John, but was in fact a Zechariah - the four days being forty days ?  -By mid-May you only need wait until 11:00 PM to see the beheading of Aquarius. By July it's too late for this story, as Aquarius is already above the eastern horizon by sunset. The head of Aquarius rises from below the eastern horizon (rises from the dead) and appears beheaded by the horizon. Following the Jesus story we come to the beheading of John the Baptist. In Matthew 14:1-12 John rises from the dead: "This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead!" (Matthew 14:2) and then John is beheaded by Herod, a personification of night. (See The Birth of Jesus for more on how Herod is a personification of night and the evil cold and darkness that comes with it.) The Bible story then says, "After John was put in prison,..." (Mat. 4:12, Mk 1:14, Lk 3:20, Jn 3:24) Suddenly John the Baptist is "put in prison." There is no further explanation, which seems quite strange if John were a real person. We want to know why he was "put in prison." What crime was he accused of? Who threw him in prison? Was there a trial? Did Jesus attend the trial and speak on his behalf? No. Nothing more is said. Jesus just continues on his journey. This is all very strange and hard to understand as a story of real life events, but it all makes perfect sense when understood as an astronomical allegory. The Sun, personified as Jesus, is in Aquarius, personified as John the Baptist. As the month progresses, and the earth continues it annual revolution around the Sun, the Sun appears to move out of Aquarius and into Pisces, the two fishes, and Aquarius at sunset ends up below the horizon. John the Baptist being put in prison is merely an allegory for the constellation Aquarius at sunset moving lower and lower until it is below the horizon at the end of the month and can no longer be seen. It requires no further explanation because it is a natural phenomenon. It is simply what naturally happens each year and therefore requires no further explanation. Mat. 4:12 John the Baptist is "cast into prison." As the days go by the Sun moves along the ecliptic on its annual journey it moves out of Aquarius [John the Baptist], leaving Aquarius below the horizon. Figuratively John the Baptist [Aquarius] has been cast into prison, that is, that constellation at sunset is now below the horizon. The constellation will reappear again six months later in the story, when it rises in the East, and gets its head cut off by the horizon. (See Mat. 14:2) The following is wrong: “The Sun starts it's annual journey in January in Aquarius, the bringer of water, because it's the rainy season. This corresponds to Jesus visiting John the Baptist, who baptises with water. This happens at the beginning of the Jesus story, because rain happens at the beginning of the year, and is the first step in the harvest cycle.” The Summer Solstice is the bringer of water, not Aquarius.  “The Sun in Spring brings an end to stormy weather. In Matthew chapter 8 Jesus gets to moving again, and in Matthew 8:23-27 we have the story of how Jesus Calms the Storm.] ” This would take place later in the year, as the growing season comes to a close, not in the spring when it just begins. Rain brings life – drying brings an end to the growing season. It should also be noted that the Summer Solstice is the sign of Cancer the Crab – like Scorpio and Pisces, a water sign. However, although they are not all water signs, each of the three winter signs are water-related (Capricorn the Sea Goat, Aquarius the Water Bearer and Pisces the Fish). In this sense, since there are three watery zodiacs in a row, denoting the great flood when ¼ of the year is under a watery symbol, an end of the Pisces cycle could likewise be considered an end of the time of inundation by Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces, which would denote the sign of Aires (a fire sign) as being the proper calmer of the storm. 
Spring is the element of water, added to the earth to make things grow and to counter the fall
Summer is the element of fire (heat of summer), which consumes the inferior growth and sets the stage for the coming harvest
Fall is the element of air, growing colder and dryer to mark the coming season of winter
Winter is the element of earth, dormant and lifeless without water or fire to bring life to it.
Fire boils off water, and Jesus is likewise considered the one who performs the “second baptism with fire” after John’s “first baptism with water”. John’s spring baptism offsets the fall of man. Jesus’ summer baptism offsets the winter, or pays the price for man’s sins through the resurrection of the sun. Note that although Aires is a fire sign, its very name indicates a connection to air.
From the Winter Solstice, Jesus and John the Baptist were hidden in Egypt from Herod. Is Herod a play on the term Hydra? Hyrad/Haryd Hedro/Hodre?
How strange are the manuscripts of this Friend, great traveller of the unknown, they appeared to me separately, yet they form a whole for him who knows that the colours of the rainbow give a white unity, or for the Artist for whom the black springs out from under his paintbrush, made from the six colours of his magic palette.
The previous author’s alignment of John the Baptist with Aquarius is probably in large part wrong as Aquarius is not the sign of the traditional rainy season (the summer solstice is, under Cancer, whereas January and February are typically dry months: rain is caused by thermal variances defined mainly by humidity, which by nature needs heat to make moisture rise into the air); John is most likely the personification of Sirius, the sun behind the sun. Likewise, Jesus may be the Son of God, and John the Sun of Man, whom often interchange (Sirius and the Sun) due to the fact that although they are essentially the same, they are each transiting through different aspects or phases. The two fishes the author pulls from scripture may refer to Gemini not Pisces.
AQUARIUS, THE WATER POURER
The sixth chapter is Aquarius, the “Pourer forth of water.” It is a picture of a man with a large urn on his shoulder from which pours out water to the east and the west and finally into the mouth or over the body of a fish.
Remember the words to the song by The 5th Dimension? “This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius”? Here’s what’s happening. While the zodiac circulates the heavens every 12 months, so also, in a larger and much slower process, our sun is moving through a cycle of ages in a reverse direction from the order of the yearly cycle. Don’t ask me how this works. I only know that this is what scientists tell us. This solar cycle of ages is each about 2,150 to 2,160 years long. Interestingly, the time of Messiah was marked with a changing of the ages from the age of Aries to the age of Pisces at Messiah’s birth. The past 2,000 years have been the time of the fish; YHWH’s people being harvested in by the net of the Gospel. We will soon see the age change again to Aquarius, a time of peace, harmony and joy. But Aquarius means far more than what most people think it means. Water is a symbol of the Ruach haKodesh/the Holy Spirit which YHWH promised to pour out upon the earth. The water of Aquarius is pouring out upon Pisces Australis, the Southern Fish. In the last chapter, Capricornus, we saw through the death of the goat (Messiah) the fish (His people) was brought into life. Now, we see that fish sustained in life by Aquarius, the Water Bearer, (our risen Messiah) who is pouring out the water of His Holy Spirit upon the living fish (the people of YHWH).
…Whosoever will let him take the water of life freely.
 [Revelation22:17b]
 Just as the fish lives in the medium of water, so must the believer live in the medium of the Spirit of YHWH. We are leaky vessels, which is why we must daily seek to be filled afresh with His Spirit. Where it says, “Be filled with the Holy Spirit,” the present tense of the Greek verb indicates; “be continually getting filled with the Holy Spirit.”
What happens to a fish out of water? Do you see this very important message in Aquarius? Like a fish out of water, we will die if we as His people do not live inside the medium of His Holy Spirit! Without the daily infilling of that Spirit, we are of no use to YHWH and His Kingdom.
PISCIS AUSTRALIS, THE SOUTHERN FISH
As we have seen before in the other chapters, mythological stories developed from an original truth behind that story. With this decan called The Southern Fish, Greek mythology tells us that Aphrodite was transformed into this fish because she was trying to escape the horrible monster, Typhon. We are that woman who has been transformed into a new creature in order that we might escape the death-dealing clutches of our horrible enemy, Satan. We are now to live in the ever-flowing waters of life provided continuously by our Water Bearer, Y’shua our Messiah.
 PEGASUS, THE WINGED HORSE
Above the head of Aquarius is the second decan of this house. It is a picture of a winged horse, but the Greek name of Pegasus literally means, “Fountain Horse.” The famous and familiar winged horse is a swift, divine messenger who brings joy to all of those whom he meets.
 The first purpose of YHWH’s Spirit in our lives is to bring us cleansing and joy. But secondly, He comes to empower us for service to be a co-laborer for the spreading of the glorious Good News. As Pegasus flies through the heavens, so we are to fly through the earth carrying the Gospel message. This is the story contained in this decan of The Winged Horse. What a glorious message we have and what a wonderful privilege is ours to share the gospel with another. Pegasus stands in the heavens to remind us that we, who have received the Good News, are now the carriers of that Good News and we are to swiftly carry it to the ends of the earth bringing a fountain of life, joy and blessings to those whom we meet.
CYGNUS,THE SWAN
The last part of the message in Aquarius is Cygnus, The Swan – the kingly bird of the waters. It is interesting that this again ties in with the picture of the waters. In Cygnus, we have another beautiful reminder of the way in which our Messiah was to die. Cygnus is the most perfectly formed cross to be found in the sky. But, unlike the stationary figure of the decan in Libra known as The Southern Cross, Cygnus is a living swan seen in rapid flight.
 The meaning of this swan in the shape of a cross becomes clearer when we look at the names of the stars. The brightest star in Cygnus is the famous star Deneb which means “The Lord or Judge to Come.” Then there is Azel meaning “He who goes and Returns Quickly” and Fafage meaning “The Glorious Shining Forth.” So, in Cygnus we have a picture of that One who died upon a cross in agony, smitten, disfigured, in whom there was no beauty when we saw Him that we should desire Him. This same One will return in brilliant glory to be the Judge of all the earth, yet forevermore bearing within His beautiful form that remembrance of the cross. As Michael Card wrote in a song, “He will be known by the scars…”
For the unbelieving, He comes as the One to judge, destroy and condemn for their impenitence and unbelief. For them, the day of His coming is a day of darkness and a day of wrath. But for us, who are the fishes of YHWH, who live in the waters of His Spirit, He comes as the lordly King of the Waters – the beautiful swan coming to receive His own.
 References: “The Gospel in the Stars” by Joseph A. Seiss and “The Real meaning of the Zodiac” by Dr. James Kennedy, Ph.D.

Aquarius, which spans 300° to 330° of celestial longitude, is represented by the Water Bearer. In ancient Greek mythology, Aquarius is Ganymede, the beautiful Phrygian youth who was snatched up by Zeus to become the cup-bearer of the Gods. Aquarius is part of the Eleventh House – Benefacta (Friendship), or House of Friendship, is associated with the element of Air. Traditionally, the ruling celestial body of Aquarius was Saturn, but has since changed to Uranus.
While Aquarius has no particularly bright stars, recent surveys have shown that there are twelve exoplanet systems within the constellation (as of 2013). Gliese 876, one of the nearest stars (15 light-years), was the first red dwarf start to be found to have a planetary system – which consists of four planets, one of which is a terrestrial Super-Earth. 91 Aquarii is an orange giant star orbited by one planet, 91 Aquarii b, a Super-Jupiter. And Gliese 849 is a red dwarf star orbited by the first known long-period Jupiter-like planet, Gliese 849 b.
Aquarius is also associated with multiple Messier objects. M2 (NGC 7089) is located in Aquarius, which is an incredibly rich globular cluster located approximately 37,000 light-years from Earth. So is the four-star asterism M73 (which refers to a group of stars that appear to be related by their proximity to each other). Then there’s the small globular cluster M72, a globular cluster that lies a degree and half to the west of M73.
Aquarius is also home to several planetary nebulae. NGC 7293, also known as the Helix Nebula, is located at a distance of about 650 light years away, making it the closest planetary nebula to Earth. Then there’s the Saturn Nebula (NGC 7009) so-named because of its apparent resemblance to the planet Saturn through a telescope, with faint protrusions on either side that resemble Saturn’s rings.
There are five meteor showers associated with the constellation of Aquarius. The Southern Iota Aquarids begin around July 1st and end around September 18th, with the peak date occurring on August 6th with an hourly rate of 7-8 meteors average. The Northern Iota Aquarids occur between August 11th to September 10th, their maximum peak occurring on or about August 25th with an average of 5-10 meteors per hour.
The Southern Delta Aquarids begin about July 14th and end around August 18th with a maximum hourly rate of 15-20 peaking on July 29th. The Northern Delta Aquarids usually begin around July 16th, and last through September 10th. The peak date occurs on or around August 13th with a maximum fall rate of about 10 meteors per hour.
Then there is the Eta Aquarid meteor shower, which begins about April 21th and ends around May 12th. It reaches its maximum on or about May 5th with a peak fall rate of up to 20 per hour for observers in the northern hemisphere and perhaps 50 per hour for observers in the southern hemisphere. Last, there is the March Aquarids, a daylight shower that may be associated with the Northern Iota Aquarid stream.

In Greek mythology, Aquarius was associated with the cup bearer of the gods – known to serve wine or water to Zeus. For his role, he was immortalized in the stars. In the ancient Greek version of the Deluge Myth, Aquarius was also identified as the one who unleashed the waters that flooded the Earth. As such, the constellation Eridanus was sometimes identified as being a river poured out by Aquarius.
It may also, together with the constellation Pegasus, be part of the origin of the myth of the Mares of Diomedes, which forms one of The Twelve Labors of Heracles. Its association with pouring out rivers, and the nearby constellation of Capricornus, may be the source of the myth of the Augean stable, which forms another of the labors.
Aquarius is one of the oldest recognized constellations along the zodiac, the sun’s apparent path through the sky. It is found in a region often called “The Sea” due to its profusion of watery constellations – such as Cetus, Pisces, Eridanus, etc. Sometimes, the river Eridanus is depicted as flowing forth from Aquarius’ watering pot.
The first recorded mentions of Aquarius are found in the Babylonian star catalogs, where Aquarius is identified as “The Great One” and represents the god Ea himself (who is often depicted holding an overflowing vase). During this time, the Aquarius constellation contained the winter solstice. Hence why Ea was seen as the ruler of the southernmost quarter of the Sun’s path, and why the “Way of Ea” corresponded to the period of 45 days on either side of the winter solstice.
Aquarius also had negative connotations in Babylonian society, due to the fact that he was associated with the destructive floods that the inhabitants of the Euphrates and Tigris river basins regularly experienced. In Ancient Egypt, Aquarius was more positively associated with the annual flooding of the Nile. According to their mythology, the Egyptians believed that the riverbanks flooded when Aquarius put his jar into the river, which marked the beginning of spring.
In ancient Greek mythology, Aquarius is sometimes associated with Deucalion, the son of Prometheus who built a ship with his wife Pyrrha to survive an imminent flood. Aquarius is also sometimes identified with Ganymede, the son of Trojan king Tros, who was taken to Mount Olympus by Zeus to act as cup-carrier to the gods. Neighboring Aquila represents the eagle who snatched Ganymede at Zeus’ behest (or as Zeus himself in animal form).
In Chinese astronomy, Aquarius is located within the northern quadrant of the sky, which is symbolized as the Black Tortoise of the North. The stream of water flowing from the Water Jar was depicted as the “Army of Yu-Lin”. “Yu-lin” translates literally to “feathers and forests”, which refers to the numerous foot soldiers from the northern reaches of the empire that were represented by these faint stars.
Other stars corresponded to “The Wall” (Leibizhen), “The Castle” (Tienliecheng) and Loui-pi-tchin (“The Ramparts”). The asterism that represents the “Water Jar” were also seen to the ancient Chinese as representing Fenmu (“tomb”), near to which the emperors’ mausoleum (Xiuliang) stood. In the 2nd century CE, Ptolemy included Aquarius in the Almagest, as one of the then-known 48 constellation. In 1922, the IAU included it in its official list of the recognized 88 constellations.

2:00 Pisces the Fish 
Shortly after leaving Aquarius (John the Baptist), Jesus visits with two fishermen named Simon Peter (Simeon) and Andrew, just as the sun passes from Aquarius to Pisces.
Around roughly 4000 B.C.E. to 2000 B.C.E. the Sun was in Taurus the bull on the Vernal Equinox, and we find in ancient religions of this period that a bull was worshipped as the one who saves the world from the evils of winter. Due to the earth's precession this later became Aries the lamb who saves the world, and later when the Sun was in Pisces the symbol of the lamb was abandoned and replaced with that of a fish. There is some inference that John somehow survives this beheading and "rises from the dead" intact (Mark 6:16 "When Herod heard this, he said, 'John, the man I beheaded, has been raised from the dead.'") And sure enough as the night progresses we see all of Aquarius rising intact from below the eastern horizon.  Mat. 4:18 Jesus visits two fishermen, Simon and Andrew his brother. The sun moves along the ecliptic passing out of Aquarius [John the Baptist] and into Pisces, the two fish. Hence we have the theme of the Sun visiting two fish, or fishermen. 
This Friend, how to introduce him to you? His name remained a mystery, but his number is that of a famous seal. How to describe him to you? Perhaps like the pilot of the indestructible [imperishable] ark, impassive like a column on his white rock scanning towards the south [midday] beyond the black rock.
PISCES – THE FISHES 
In the house of Pisces there are two fish. Each of them has a band around the tail portion of their bodies with the other ends of the bands attached to the back of the head of Cetus, the Sea-Monster. These fish are not free to swim, but appear to be property of the Monster, yet the paw of Aries, the Ram (or Lamb) is crossing over the bands.   The fish has been known as an ancient symbol of Israel for thousands of years. In the Egyptian language, this constellation is called Pi-cot Orion or Pisces Hori meaning “The Fish of Him who Comes.” One of the brightest stars is called Al Samaca, The Upheld.   I will uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness. [Isaiah 41:10]   Another star bears the Hebrew name Okda which means, “The United.” These two fishes represent two groups that together comprise the whole of Israel . We see this in several ways. First, there is the Israel of the old covenant days and the Israel of the renewed covenant today. The writer of Hebrews tells us that without us, they are not complete.   And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: Elohim having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. [Hebrews 11:39-40]   
The remnant today brings fullness to the remnant of old. But secondly, we can also see the principal of the two houses of Israel which are united together as one family. One can not deny the other and only in unity can we succeed in the will of our Father. Two is also the number representing multiplication. The Hebrew name for this constellation is Dagim which is also related to a word for multitude. When Yaacov blessed Yosef’s sons he said, “Let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”(Genesis 48:16). Even the name of Yosef means “I will add.” When we further the kingdom adding numbers to the family of YHWH, we bring spiritual fulfillment to the command to “be fruitful and multiply.”   For the past 2,000 years starting at about the time of Messiah’s birth, we have been in the Age of Pisces. This is the age when the great net of the kingdom has been cast out to all the nations to bring in a harvest of many fish.   Come after Me, and I will make you to become the fishers of men. [Mark 1:17]   True believers are “The Fish of Him Who Comes” and He calls us to also be the fishermen. To have a passion for winning souls into the kingdom is a characteristic of a true disciple.   
THE BANDS 
The first decan of Pisces is The Bands which connect the fishes to Cetus, the Sea-Monster. Because of the fall of man, the whole world was given over to the hands of the evil one. Although men may think themselves to be free, each of us is born in bondage to sin. The paw of Aries, The Ram (or Lamb) is placed upon those bands to remind us that there is One who is stronger than our enemy and He holds Sovereign control. The Lamb is able to free us from the bands that hold men bound to sin and death. He alone can set us free.   
ANDROMEDA, THE CHAINED WOMAN 
The second decan is Andromeda, which is the figure of a beautiful woman in what appears to be a seated position, and like the fishes, she is bound, but with chains upon her hands and feet. Her name, Andro- meda is made from two Greek words meaning “Man Ruler.” Interestingly, though she is bound, and seems to be helpless, her name tells us that she will be ruler of men. In this world, YHWH’s people, are weak and afflicted, but are destined to rule and reign with Messiah as a kingdom of priests. The names of some of the stars in this constellation mean “the weak,” “the afflicted,” ‘the chained” - a picture of the Bride of Messiah at present. A beautiful truth underlies the story of Andromeda in Greek mythology. She was the daughter of Cepheus and Cassiopeia, and the nymphs were resentful of her beauty, so they chained her to a rock near Yoffa in the Middle East to be devoured by the sea-monster. However, she was rescued by Perseus, who has a great sword in his hand and the head of Medusa under his arm. He has been off in battle with the gorgons and has destroyed Medusa, a monster with serpents for hair. He has destroyed this creature of darkness, and on his return from the battle, he rescues Andromeda from the chains on the rock and makes her his wife. Perseus is obviously another portrayal of Messiah, the Great Redeemer, the One who is presently engaged in a great war with the powers of darkness, and when the war is over, He will return to us again to free us from the weakness, affliction and chains of this world. There is something to be learned from the hatred against Andromeda, in fact, the whole sign of Pisces. It has been an ill omen in the eyes of the world. Ancient Assyrians and Babylonians would not even eat fish because of its connection to Pisces. So too, are the people of YHWH looked upon by the world with great disfavor. These past 2,000 years have been known as the Age of “The Church.” It is the “Age of Pisces” that people hate as they long for the “Age of Aquarius” to come. So, we see something of the malignant animosity directed at “the Church,” the true remnant of Messiah’s disciples. Like the sea-monster, Satan wants to devour us, but soon, our Perseus will come. He will free us and make us His Bride. The kingdom of heaven is established by Him and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it. An interesting astronomical observation about Andromeda is that this constellation can sometimes be seen through binoculars- in fact, even with the naked eye. Andromeda (or M-31, as astronomers call it) is the closest galaxy to our own. While everything else in the heavens is moving away from us, the Andromeda galaxy is moving steadily toward us. This galaxy is made of approximately 1 billion stars, which is about the size of our own Milky Way, and it is moving directly toward us at a rate of 160 miles per second! But even at that rate, it will still take a very, very long time to get here because it is a million and a half light years away.   
CEPHEUS, THE CROWNED KING 
The third and final decan in this house is Cepheus, the Crowned King. Here is a picture of a bearded man who wears a crown, seated upon a throne. In his uplifted hand he holds a scepter, and with his right hand he holds a portion of his robe. His right foot is placed firmly upon the Pole-star, the central point in all of the galaxies and all of the heavens. This is obviously a picture of Messiah enthroned; no longer the slain sacrifice of Capricornus to give life to His people, but now risen and glorious and enthroned as the Great Redeemer. Cepheus means “The Royal Branch.” In our study of Virgo, we noted that in one hand, she held a Seed, and in the other, a Branch. The Branch is a name given to Messiah in the Prophets. He is the Righteous Branch who was to come and now, in Cepheus we see Him as “The Royal Branch” enthroned as King. In Egyptian, this constellation is known as Per-Ku-Hor,  meaning “This One Comes to Rule.” The brightest star in the right shoulder of this Crowned King is called Al Deramin- an Arabic name meaning “Coming Quickly.” The second brightest star at his midriff is called (also in the Arabic language) Al Phirk “The Redeemer.” At his left knee is a star named Alrai, meaning “He Who Bruises or Breaks.”   SUMMARY This house of Pisces shows us the people of YHWH held in bonds in this world. But, we also see the Sovereign Lamb, the Royal Branch, looking down from above, and even now He controls the destiny of the world and holds His people in His hands. He has promised to uphold us, provide for us, protect us against all our enemies and one day will come to free us and make us His Bride to rule and reign with Him forever.   
References: “The Gospel in the Stars” by Joseph A. Seiss and “The Real Meaning of the Zodiac” by Dr. James Kennedy, Ph.D.

The sign of Pisces covers 330° to 360° of celestial longitude and is represented by the The Fish. This symbol is derived from the ichthyocentaurs – a pair of centaurian sea-gods that had the upper body of a male human, the lower front of a horse, and the tail of a fish – who aided Aphrodite when she was born from the sea. Pisces is part of the Twelfth House of Carcer (Prison), or The House of Self-Undoing, and are associated with the element of Water. The ruling celestial body of Pisces is traditionally Jupiter, but has since come to be Neptune.
Beta Piscium, also known as Samakah (the “Fish’s Mouth”), is a B-class hydrogen fusing dwarf star in the Pisces constellation. Located 495 light years from Earth, this star produces 750 times more than light than our own Sun and is believed to be 60 million years old. The brightest star in the constellation, Eta Piscium, is a bright class B star that is located 294 years away from our Solar System.
This star is also known by its Babylonian name, Kullat Nunu (which translates to “cord of the fish”), the Arab name Al Pherg (“pouring point of water”), and the Chinese name Yòu Gèng – which means “Official in Charge of the Pasturing“, referring to an asterism consisting of Eta Piscium and its immediate neighbors – Rho Piscium, Pi Piscium, Omicron Piscium, and 104 Piscium.
And then there’s van Maanen’s Star (aka. Van Maanen 2) a white dwarf that is located about 14 light years from our Sun, making it the third closest star of its kind to our system (after Sirius B and Procyon B). Gamma Piscium is a yellow-orange giant star located about 130 light years away, and is visible with just binoculars.
The Pisces constellationis also home to a number of deep-sky objects. These include M74, a loosely-wound spiral galaxy that lies at a distance of 30 million light years from our Sun. It has many clusters of young stars and the associated nebulae, showing extensive regions of star formation. Also, there’s CL 0024+1654, a massive galaxy cluster that is primarily made up of yellow elliptical and spiral galaxies.  CL 0024+1654 lies at a distance of 3.6 billion light-years from Earth and lenses the galaxy behind it (i.e. it creates arc-shaped images of the background galaxy).
Last, there the active galaxy and radio source known as 3C 31. Located at a distance of 237 million light-years from Earth, this galaxy has a supermassive black hole at its center. In addition to being the source of its radio waves, this black hole is also responsible for creating the massive jets that extend several million light-years in both directions from its center – making them some of the largest objects in the universe.
There is one annual meteor shower associated with Pisces which peaks on or about October 7 of each year. The Piscid meteor shower has a radiant near the Aries constellation and produces an average of 15 meteors per hour which have been clocked at speeds of up to 28 kilometers per second. As always, the meteoroid stream can begin a few days earlier and end a few days later than the expected peak and success on viewing depends on dark sky conditions.
Currently, the Vernal Equinox is currently located in Pisces. In astronomy, equinox is a moment in time at which the vernal point, celestial equator, and other such elements are taken to be used in the definition of a celestial coordinate system. Due to the precession of the equinoxes, the Vernal Equinox is slowly drifting towards Aquarius.

In mythology, the constellation of Pisces is represented by two fish bound together with a piece of string. According to one Greek myth, Pisces represents the fish into which Aphrodite and her son Eros transformed in order to escape the monstrous Typhon; they are tied together with a cord on their tails, to make sure they do not lose one another! Even more mythology states that Pan changed himself into a goat-fish (Capricorn) and jumped into the river to save them… Or perhaps it was a pair of fish which rescued them from the reeds along the river banks… Or maybe they were turned into eggs that were saved by the fish… One thing is for certain, somewhere along the line, the translation got lost – but the twin fish got left in the sky!

3:00 Aires the Ram 
The Crossing of the Sun/Crucifixion of the Son and the Resurrection at the Vernal Equinox on the third (fourth) day. The Raising of Lazarus (El Osiris). April showers bring May flowers / in like a Lion, out like a Lamb. Where’s the dog? Around roughly 4000 B.C.E. to 2000 B.C.E. the Sun was in Taurus the bull on the Vernal Equinox, and we find in ancient religions of this period that a bull was worshipped as the one who saves the world from the evils of winter. Due to the earth's precession this later became Aries the lamb who saves the world, and later when the Sun was in Pisces the symbol of the lamb was abandoned and replaced with that of a fish. 
During my testing pilgrimage I tried to clear a path with the sword crossing the inextricable vegetation of the woods, I wanted to reach the residence of the sleeping BEAUTY in whom certain poets saw the QUEEN of a past realm. In desperation of finding my way again the parchments of this Friend were for me, the thread of Ariadne.
Parchments = papyrus?
Queen of a past realm / Sleeping Beauty = the long passed Age of Virgo?
ARIES, THE LAMB 
We come now to Aries, The Ram (or Lamb). This chapter, although the 8th in the glorious Gospel which YHWH has painted in the heavens, is the 4th chapter of the Second Book which is primarily concerning the Redeemer’s People. This Second Book began with a sacrificial animal at Capricornus and now ends with a sacrificial animal. There is a parallel here that can not be overlooked. The prophetic calendar given to us in the annual Feasts begins with the season of Pesach (a sacrifice) and ends with the season of Yom Kippur (a sacrifice). Yet there is a difference with Aries. Unlike, the Goat who is dying, this Lamb is sitting victoriously at ease. These make a set of book ends to the Age of the Redeemer’s People. Both are a picture of our Messiah who is the beginning and the ending, the author and the finisher of our faith. Capricornus is facing back toward the conflict with Satan. Aries is looking toward the consummation and the final victory, as found in the Third Book of the last four chapters. At the season of Pesach, there is a Lamb in the heavens. The theme of the Lamb runs throughout the Scriptures: 
Behold, the Lamb of Elohim, which takes away the sin of the world. [John 1:29]   
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. [Revelation 5:12]   
There is “the Lamb’s Book of Life”, “the Wrath of the Lamb”, “the Bride of the Lamb”, and “the Lamb” whose blood overcomes Satan and the saints’ testimony of Him. The Hebrew name for this constellation is Taleh, “The Lamb Sent Forth.” The Greek name Krios also means “The Lamb.” In Latin, it is called Aries (the name by which we know it) which means “The Lamb,” “The Chief,” “The Head.” The ancient Akkadians called this figure Baraziggar, a name which means “The Altar” or “The Sacrifice of Making Right.” That of course is precisely what Y’shua has done. He is the great and final evening sacrifice which makes all those who believe in Him right before Elohim.   
The principal stars in this figure are called El Nath or El Natik and Al Sharetan which mean “The Wounded,” “The Bruised,” and “The Slain.” Over the head of the figure is a triangle, which the Greeks said exhibited the name of the Deity, and its principal star bears the name signifying “The Head,” “The Uplifted,” hence the Lamb exalted. It is highly unreasonable to suppose that all this could have happened by mere accident. There was manifestly some intelligent design to cause such an arrangement for the names of these stars to be what they are.  
 It is interesting to note the position of the Lamb on the planisphere. He is facing backward toward the consummation of this entire story. But one paw is placed on The Band, which hold the two fishes of Pisces to the neck of Cetus, the Sea-Monster. What a powerful picture this is! If you had bands holding two large fishes on the end, and the middle of the band was tied to a large sea-monster, it would take both hands to control it and would require every bit of your attention. But Messiah has simply one hand controlling this whole situation and He doesn’t even bother to look! With one hand, He upholds His People and controls Satan while He is looking ahead to the glorious end of the story, the consummation of all things!   
The mythologies that developed over time among the nations bear the record of the original prophecies. Although distorted with pagan ideas, the beautiful picture of our Messiah remains. There is a story from Greek mythology about a woman named Nephele. Her name means “The Cloud.” Nephele has two children, Phrixus and Helle. These children, after her death, are threatened with death by their new stepmother. The spirit of Nephele comes and warns them that they are going to be killed and that they should flee. She provides them with a large lamb with Golden Fleece. They seat themselves on the back of the lamb and take off into the air across the water and flee to Asia Minor . Unfortunately, Helle, the girl-child, loses her hold upon the lamb’s back and falls off into the sea and drowns. The water came to be known as Helle’s Sea, or Hellespont . 
And so it was, that many in Israel , though faithful for a time, let go of their faith and drowned. None of those who were delivered from Egypt except Yahoshua and Caleb entered the Promised Land with the next generation. Helle serves as a reminder to us all that we must hold onto the Lamb and remain faithful to the end. But, Phrixus represents those of the faithful remnant who hold on and continue to be borne across the sea to their final destination – the city of Colchis , “The Citadel of Reconciliation,” “The City of Refuge,” and are saved by the Lamb with the Golden Fleece. 
Interestingly, this Lamb who saved Phrixus is sacrificed to Jupiter by Phrixus himself. It was our sins that made Messiah’s sacrifice necessary. Even as Phrixus offered up the lamb, we have offered Him up; the Lamb dies and we are spared. There are, of course, the well-known stories of the Golden Fleece and Jason’s great adventure seeking for it. He built a ship called Argo, and gathered together a group of Greek heroes who became known as Argonauts who set out to find the Golden Fleece. Jason, a prince, was not able to assume his throne unless he discovered and brought back this Fleece. He found that it had been hung on an oak in a great grove guarded by a horrible monster. After discovering its location, he slew the monster with his sword and took the Golden Fleece which, when presented, gave him his claim to the throne. Even as Jason had the Golden Fleece for his cover, so the fleece of the Lamb makes a covering for us. Hidden here in this mythological story we can see the original truth from YHWH of how His remnant will be clothed in the righteousness of Messiah. 
That is the story of Aries, The Lamb – the lamb which yielded the Golden Fleece and provides the marvelous garment of righteousness for the believer. It is the Lamb which takes us across the dangerous seas and delivers us safely to the city of refuge in Heaven; it is the Lamb which holds up the fishes of Elohim and restrains Cetus, The Sea-Monster.   
CASSIOPEIA, THE ENTHRONED WOMAN 
The first decan is a woman enthroned in a chair, high and lifted up. With one hand, she is arranging her robe; in the other she holds the branch of victory and is arranging her hair. This is a contrast to what is seen in Andromeda, who represents the Bride of the Lamb in affliction. She is despised by the world, in bonds under affliction and is in danger of being devoured by Cetus. But here we see Cassiopeia, The Bride lifted up, enthroned and glorified. In Hebrew, one of the stars marking her figure is called Shedar, “The Freed.” Once bound to the rock, waiting to be devoured, Cassiopeia is now freed and is seated upon a throne high and lifted up. In the ancient Denderah zodiac in Egypt , her name is Set, from a Hebrew word with a meaning of “Enthroned.” She is set up as a Queen and Enthroned in the Heavens, the bride of the King of Heaven itself. Albumazer, an ancient authority, says this woman was anciently called “the Daughter of Splendor.” Cassiopeia is preparing herself like a typical bride preparing for a wedding. She is seen with one hand preparing her robes and with the other her hair. She is a picture of the Bride now without spot or wrinkle making herself ready for the marriage supper of the Lamb.   
CETUS, THE SEA-MONSTER 
The second decan in this house is Cetus, The Sea-Monster which takes up more space in the sky than any other constellation. Satan and the world system are so very visible and ever present. He is the dragon who has deceived the whole world (Revelation 12:9), and so we see Cetus taking up a great portion of the sky. This is the one who desires to devour Andromeda and holds the fishes of Pisces in bonds. One of its brightest stars bears the Hebrew name Mira which means “The Rebel.” Interestingly, in most of the various constellations depicting Satan, the stars are variable – they appear, diminish and sometimes disappear. Mira has disappeared for a period of four years, at which time it was invisible in the sky. So Satan does his best work oftentimes when he is invisible - when people do not even believe he is there. The brightest star located in the nose of the monster has the Hebrew name Menkar, “The Bound,” or “Chained Enemy.” The second brightest star, found in the tail, bears the Hebrew name Diphda, meaning “The Overthrown.”   
PERSEUS, THE BREAKER 
The final decan to close this chapter and this Second Book about the Redeemer’s People is Perseus in Greek and Perets in Hebrew, both meaning “The Breaker.”   
The breaker is come up before them. [Micah 2:13]   
It is Messiah who is the breaker that goes up before us. This is made very clear from the various stars found in him and the story of Messiah as it is given to us in Greek mythology. Perseus was the son of the divine father. He was born in a most miraculous way – by a shower of gold descending upon the young woman Danae, bringing about his amazing conception. No sooner was he born than he was put under persecution. He finally overcame that and then, as a splendid gift to his father, the king, he engaged to bring to him the head of the Medusa, one of the three horrible gorgons – creatures with three different heads bound together. They had defiled the Temple . Their long hair had been turned into serpents. They were frightful creatures covered with impenetrable scales. They had tusks like boars, yellow wings, brazen hands, and were very dangerous. Their very looks had the power to turn a person into stone. The work of Satan does turn the heart of man into stone, yet Elohim promises that He will take away our heart of stone and place within us a heart of flesh.   
Perseus succeeds in this great undertaking. He beheaded the Medusa and brought back the head, holding it by the serpents. The figure of Perseus on a planisphere shows him with an uplifted sword in one hand and the head of the Medusa in the other. Medusa means “The Trodden Underfoot.” Here again, we see a very definite bruising of the head of Satan (the protoevangelium of Genesis 3:15). While Perseus was on his way back from this brave deed, he saw the beautiful Andromeda chained to the rock and in the distance, coming up out of the sea towards her is this great sea-monster. He sets her free and carries her away to his father’s home and makes her his bride. In his waist, there is a star with an Arabic name called Mirfak meaning “Who Helps.” In the right shoulder is a star called Al Genib, “The One Who Carries Away.” Other star names of interest are two in Medusa. The brightest one in her head is called Al Ghoul, meaning “The Evil Spirit.” Another is known by the name of Rosh Satan, which in Hebrew means “Satan’s Head.”   
How anyone could think that all of the ancient star names of all the constellations and all the mythologies associated with the zodiac are somehow beautifully synchronized with the Biblical account of Redemption by mere coincidence is beyond me. That is simply not a logical conclusion. The ancient names of the stars do in fact declare the glory of Elohim (Psalm 19:1) and the ancient mythologies obviously portray the story of Redemption born in the heart YHWH.   
SUMMARY 
This closes the Second Book about the Redeemer’s People. The Lamb who was slain is now the exalted One who upholds us with His right hand and restrains our enemy. Although we are now bound by mortality and vulnerable to destruction, like Andromeda, we await our soon coming Perseus. He is the one born by a miraculous shower of gold causing his conception in the young maiden. He lived his whole life in persecution, but for the sake of the King, his Father, he went out to destroy the deadly Medusa, who turned men into stone. Upon succeeding, he rescued Andromeda from her slavery, broke her bonds, and set her free. A Bride without spot or wrinkle will reign with the King. Prepare for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, you who are depicted in Cassiopeia, for He who is coming is soon to arrive.   
References: “The Gospel in the Stars” by Joseph A. Seiss and “The Real Meaning of the Zodiac” by Dr. James Kennedy, Ph.D.

The sign of Aries, which covers 0° to 30° of celestial longitude, is represented by The Ram, which is based on the Chrysomallus – the flying ram that provided the Golden Fleece in Greek mythology. Aries is associated with the First House, known traditionally as Vita (Latin for life) and in the modern context as the “House of Self”. Aries is associated with Fire, and the ruling celestial body of Aries is Mars.
The Aries constellation is also home to Teegarden’s Star, one of Sun’s closest neighbors, located approximately 12 light years away. It appears to be a red dwarf, a class of low temperature and low luminosity stars. And then there’s Alpha Areitis, which is easily spotted by the naked eye. Also known as “Hamal” – literally “head of the sheep” in Arabic – this star is located at the point where constellations angles downward to form an arc.
For those with telescopes, several galaxies can be spotted within the Aries constellation as well. These include the spiral galaxy NGC 772 and the large 13th magnitude NGC 697 spiral galaxy. NGC 972 is another, which is faint (at magnitude 12) and part of a galaxy group. And then there’s the dwarf irregular galaxy NGC 1156, which is considered a Magellanic-type galaxy with a larger than average core.
Aries is also home to several meteor showers, such as the May Arietids. This daylight meteor shower begins between May 4th and June 6th with maximum activity happening on May 16th. The Epsilon Arietids are also a daylight occurrence, and are active between April 25th to May 27th with peak activity on May 9th. And then there are the Daytime Arietids, which occur from May 22nd to July 2nd with a maximum rate of one a minute on June 8th.
To top it off, the Aries constellation contains several stars with extrasolar planets. For example, HIP 14810, a G5 type star, is orbited by three confirmed exoplanets, all of them giant planets (all Super-Earths). HD 12661, also a G-type main sequence star, has two orbiting planets (which appear to be Super-Jupiters). And HD 20367, a G0 type star, has one orbiting gas giant that roughly the same size as Jupiter.

In classical mythology, Aries is the Ram – perhaps the golden one who saved Helle and Phrixos from a king Cretheus for false accusations. Aries the Ram is the also the first astrological sign in the Zodiac – associated with the god Ares and masculinity. Under the tropical zodiac, the Sun is in Aries roughly from March 21st to April 19th, by definition beginning at vernal equinox. The vernal equinox has moved in the constellation Pisces, but sometimes it is still called the first point of Aries.
Though representations of Aries as The Ram comes to us from classical antiquity, it is believed that this constellation has existed since the days of ancient Babylon. In the description of the Babylonian zodiac contained in the MUL.APIN (the compendium on Babylonian astrology) Aries was the final station along the ecliptic, and was known as MULLÚ.?UN.GÁ, which translates to “The Agrarian Worker” or “The Hired Man.”
The shift in identification from the constellation as the Agrarian Worker to the Ram likely occurred in later Babylonian tradition because of its growing association with Dumuzi the Shepherd. By the time the MUL.APIN was created (1000 BCE) , modern Aries was identified with both Dumuzi’s ram and a hired laborer.
In ancient Egyptian astronomy, Aries was associated with the god Amon-Ra, who was depicted as a man with a ram’s head and represented fertility and creativity. Because it was the location of the vernal equinox, it was called the “Indicator of the Reborn Sun”. Aries acquired the title of “Lord of the Head” in Egypt, referring to its symbolic and mythological importance.
In traditional Chinese astronomy, stars from Aries were used in several constellations. Alpha, Beta, and Gamma Arietis formed a constellation called Lou, variously translated as “bond”, “lasso”, and “sickle”, which was associated with the ritual sacrifice of cattle. This constellation has also been associated with harvest-time as it could represent a woman carrying a basket of food on her head. Other stars were part of the constellations Wei – the namesake of the 17th lunar mansion, representing granaries – and Tianyin, thought to represent the Emperor’s hunting partner.
Similarly, in Hindu astronomy, Beta and Gamma Arietis were known as the Aswins, and were associated with the first lunar mansion. Because the Hindu new year began with the vernal equinox, the Rig Veda contains over 50 new-year’s related hymns to the twins, making them some of the most prominent characters in the work. Aries itself was known as “Aja” and “Mesha“.
In Hebrew astronomy Aries was named “Teli“, which signified either Simeon or Gad, and generally symbolizes the “Lamb of the World”. The neighboring Syrians and Turks named the constellation “Amru” and “Kuzi”, respectively. In indigenous Peruvian astronomy, a constellation with most of the same stars was called the “Market Moon” and the “Kneeling Terrace”, as a reminder of when to hold the annual harvest festival, Ayri Huay.

4:00 Taurus the Bull 
Revelations 4:7, "and the first living creature like a lion, and the second living creature like a calf, and the third living creature having the face as of a man, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle." Around roughly 4000 B.C.E. to 2000 B.C.E. the Sun was in Taurus the bull on the Vernal Equinox, and we find in ancient religions of this period that a bull was worshipped as the one who saves the world from the evils of winter.
The Sun Walks on Water: Right after Taurus the Bull lies the Milky Way, that starry band that lies like a lake across the night sky. The sun crosses the Milky Way around May 20 to June 4. Moses “Parts the Red Sea” and then murders off a substantial portion of his followers for still “worshipping the golden calf”
Thanks to him, from now on by measured steps and a sure eye, I can discover the sixty-four dispersed stones of the perfect cube that the brothers of the BEAUTY of the black wood escaping in the pursuit of the usurpers, had scattered on their way whilst they fled from the white Fort.
8X8
Is this a reference to stars?
The beauty of the Black Wood
What is the distinction of BLACK wood?
The brother s of the above woman were chased away by usurpers
The dispersed stones when together form a perfect cube
The brothers fled from the White Fort
Are the usupers the Semites, the Nubians or the Muslims?
Is this taking place in Egypt, the Levant or France? The Great Pyramid, Al-Sakhrah or Montsegur?

TAURUS, THE BULL 
Taurus is the first chapter of the third and final Book of the zodiac that tells of the completion of our redemption. To recap, the First Book from Virgo to Sagittarius, tells primarily of The Promised Redeemer. The Second Book from Capricornus to Aries is focusing on TheRedeemer’s People. This Third and final Book from Taurus to Leo is about Redemption Completed.  Here is an outline of Book Three:   Third Book – Redemption Completed 
Chapter One      
1. Taurus  – The Coming Invincible Ruler      
2. Orion - The Glorious Vanquisher      
3. Eridanus  – The River of Judgment      
4. Auriga - The All-Ruling Shepherd   
Chapter Two      
1. Gemini – The Marriage of The Lamb      
2.  Lepus – The Enemy Trodden Down      
3.  Canis Major – The Prince Coming in Glory      
4.  Canis Minor – The Redeemer   Chapter Three 1.Cancer – The Possession Secured
2.Ursa Minor – The Lesser Sheepfold
3.Ursa Major – The Greater Sheepfold  
4.Argo – Our Trials Finished
Chapter Four 1.Leo – The King Aroused for the Rending
2. Hydra – The Serpent Fleeing
3.Crater – The Cup of Wrath Upon Him
4.Corvus – Our Enemy Devoured
Book Three is prophecy of the consummation of all things; sudden and swift judgment, the marriage supper of the Lamb, the final harvest of souls, and the destruction of the wicked.   Taurus is a bull or ox type creature with his head lowered as if he is charging. Actually, the picture seen on a planisphere is only the front half of a bull that seems to rise out of the figure of Aries, The Lamb. In a similar way, we saw the dying goat half of Capricornus with the lively fish tail half emerging. Now we see that the Lamb who is meek and gentle will emerge as the bull untamable and irresistible.   Behold, the day of YHWH comes, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger…every one that is found shall be thrust through… [Isaiah 13:9a, 15a] The chief star in Taurus is Al Debaran, located in the bull’s eye, and in Arabic means “The Captain,” or “The Leader.” Taurus is located exactly opposite to Scorpio on the planisphere. As you recall, Scorpio is a picture of the great conflict between Satan and Messiah with Ophiuchus wrestling Serpens, The Serpent from the Crown and being struck in the heel by the Scorpion’s tail. Being directly opposite in the circle, when Taurus rises, the whole conflict in Scorpio sinks beneath the horizon and disappears. When Messiah rises in judgment, Satan will disappear into the bottomless pit. There are passages in Scripture where we read of “the unicorn” (Job 39:9-10, Psalm 92:10), but the Hebrew word for that animal is “rheem.” For a long time it was not known what kind of animal this was, so translators chose “unicorn.” Since then, research has revealed that the Rheem, though now extinct, was once a common animal of North-western Asia, Assyria and Middle Europe. Remains of it have been discovered in Northern Palestine , and Julius Caesar, in the account of his wars, describes it as being hunted in the Hercynian forest in his day. It was a formidable ox like creature (with two horns, not one) no smaller than an elephant in size. It was extremely fierce and dangerous and known for quickly turning and attacking man upon sight.   
But My horn shall You exalt like the unicorn (the rheem): I shall be anointed with fresh oil. [Psalm 92:10]   Many of the ancient Jewish writers and the Jewish Targum ascribe the authorship of this Psalm to Adam, the first man. It was appointed as a special Psalm for the Sabbath day, yet this Psalm contains the entire expanse of our existence ending with the Great Sabbath to come. It starts with celebrating the glories and blessings of creation. It then anticipates a period of apostasy and wickedness followed by a speedy and invincible overthrow and destruction of the workers of lawlessness, followed by a glorious Sabbath of everlasting righteousness and peace. Where it speaks of the enemies of YHWH to perish, verse 10 emphasizes the exaltation of the power and dominion of the Messiah who says His “horn” – His power, His active dominion – shall be “like the horn of the unicorn (rheem)”.   Will the {rheem} be willing to serve you….can you bind the {rheem} with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after you? [Job 39:9a-10]   In other words, are you able to make this fiercesome creature serve you? Can you domesticate it and use it for plowing the fields? The answer is, NO, you cannot. This animal was completely untameable and ferocious beyond the ability of man to restrain it. Taurus is this ancient, huge, wild ox or bull – the picture of Messiah coming in judgment.   It is interesting to note that a small constellation known as Pleiades or “The Seven Sisters” can be seen riding high upon the shoulder of Taurus – a beautiful picture of the Bride being carried away to safety.  In Greek mythology, Taurus, was a form assumed by Jupiter for the purpose of carrying his loved one, Europa, across the seas to the island of Crete . Afterward, he became angry at the injustices that had been done toward him and wrought great havoc upon his enemies. Even so does Messiah take His Bride upon Him and deliver her to safety. He will then turn in anger and swift judgment to destroy His enemies.   
ORION, THE GLORIOUS ONE 
This first decan of Taurus is a very impressive constellation and one of the best known. It appears in the far north as a diagonal belt of three bright stars with other bright stars marking his shoulders and legs. Orion means “The Brilliant,” “The Swift,” or “He Who Comes Forth as Light.” In Hebrew the name is Chesil, meaning “A Strong One” or “A Hero.” He is pictured as a mighty hunter. He has a club upraised in his right hand, and in his left he holds the skin of a lion with head still attached, which he has slain. We know that Scripture describes Satan as a lion who goes about seeking whom he may devour. Once again, we see here in the heavens a picture of the great conflict which was prophesied in Genesis 3:15 (the protoevangelium- the first gospel message). We have seen Satan in the zodiac with Scorpio, Serpens, Draco and Cetus and each time, we see Y’shua as the great and mighty Victor. Now once again, we have a picture given to us of that great conflict with Satan as the slain lion and Y’shua, the Victor in Orion. There is a sword attached to Orion’s belt. At the sword’s handle is the head of a Lamb; reminding us that Orion, the great hunter, is also the Lamb who was slain.   In the shoulder of the arm that holds the club, there is a star called Betelgeuse. It is a star of the first magnitude and is enormous in size. To appreciate its significance, let me tell you just how enormous it is in comparison to our earth and sun. The diameter of our earth is almost 8,000 miles, while that of our sun is about 865,000 miles. Betelgeuse is 700 million miles in diameter! Our earth is only about 93 million miles from the sun. Get the picture? This enormous star is in the right shoulder of the arm that holds the club which slays the lion (Satan). We have a very formidable Hero in our Messiah! Another star in this constellation is Rigel, found in the foot of Orion. It means, “The Foot that Crushes.” Throughout the entire zodiac, constant reminders bring us back to the prophecy of that Seed of the woman who will crush our enemy (Genesis 3:15). The three stars in Orion’s belt are called “The Three Kings” giving us a prophetic foreshadowing of the Three Kings of the Orient who came to honor Messiah at His birth. Another star in Orion is called Bellatrix, which means “Quickly Coming” or “Swiftly Destroying.”   
ERIDANUS, THE RIVER 
The second decan is Eridanus, The River of The Judge . It is pictured as a fiery river that flows out of the foot of Orion, goes past Cetus, The Sea-monster, and disappears into the outer darkness. In Greek mythology it was a fiery river which threatened to burn up the world. Who can stand before His indignation? And who can abide in the fierceness of His anger? His fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by Him’ [Nahum 1:6]   Adonai Y’shua shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not Elohim, and that obey not the gospel of Adonai Y’shua haMashiach. [2 Thessalonians 1:7b-8]   Eridanus is a picture of the fury of YHWH poured out like a fiery stream. In many pictures of the zodiac, this River of The Judge is shown with fire arising from it all along the way. It reaches over and touches Cetus, The Sea-monster; a picture of the fact that Satan will be destroyed; and then it descends into outer darkness – the picture of final judgment. It is a bleak and desolate picture, but one we must remember and tell. Y’shua will come to exercise wrath and anger upon His enemies. A day of fiery indignation is coming – the Day of YHWH when the Judge of all the earth will bring sudden destruction to all of the wicked!    AURIGA, THE SHEPHERD On the planisphere is a picture of a man who is actually seated upon the Milky Way. He is “The Charioteer,” but he is also called “The Shepherd.” He holds in his right hand a band, the same band that was connected to Pisces, The Fishes. However, that band is no longer connected. He has a goat or a lamb in his left arm, and in his lap are two new-born baby goats. The older goat or lamb has its paws around the neck of Auriga. Here is a picture of the Chief Shepherd who shall come and gather together His own, a beautiful picture of both adults and children gathered together in the arms of the Shepherd.   He shall gather His flock like a shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.” {Isaiah 40:11]   In the zodiac of Dendera (the most ancient of zodiacs) there is a slight variation on Auriga. Instead of the bands that were formerly connected to the fishes, there is a scepter, the upper part of which shows the head of the Lamb and the lower part of which is shaped like a cross.   SUMMARY Long before Messiah was born, the zodiac was formed by the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the universe. In the sign of Taurus, we are shown the swift and fiery judgment upon the wicked rising up from that Lamb who was slain for their sins. He is our Hero and with enormous and overwhelming strength, He will destroy the enemy who seeks to devour us. In the midst of the judgment to come upon the wicked, those who are His flock are safe in the bosom of the Great Shepherd. They are “The Seven Sisters” who ride safely upon the shoulder of Taurus.   
References: “The Gospel in the Stars” by Joseph A. Seiss and “The Real Meaning of the Zodiac” by Dr. James Kennedy, Ph.D.

The sign of Taurus, which covers 30° to 60° of celestial longitude, is represented by The Bull – which is based on the Cretan Bull that fathered the Minotaur and was killed by Theseus. Taurus is associated with the Second House, known by the Latin name of Lucrum (wealth) and by the modern name, “House of Value”, and the element Earth. The ruling celestial body of Taurus is Venus.
Taurus’ brightest star, Alpha Tauri, is also known by its traditional name, Al Dabaran (which was Latinized to become Aldebaran). The name, which is Arabic, literally means “the Follower” because of the way the Taurus constellation appears to follow the Pleiades star cluster across the sky. In Latin, it was traditionally known as Stella Dominatrix, but to Medieval English astronomers, it was known as Oculus Tauri – literally the “eye of Taurus.”
There is one major annual meteor shower associated with the constellation of Taurus: the annual Taurids, which peak on or about November 5th of each year and have a duration period of about 45 days. The maximum fall rate for this meteor shower is about 10 meteors per hour, with many bright fireballs often occurring when the parent comet – Encke – has passed near perihelion.
And speaking of Pleiades (aka. Messier 45, The Seven Sisters) this cluster of stars is located perpendicular to Aldebaran in the night sky, and is visible to the unaided eye. Although it is made up of over 1000 confirmed stars, this object is identifiable by its seven particularly bright blue stars (though as many as 14 up can be seen with the naked eye depending on local observing conditions).

Taurus is considered by some to be one of the oldest recognized constellations known, and may have even been depicted with the Pleiades in cave paints dating back to 13,000 BC. According to Greek myth, Taurus was the god Zeus, transformed into a bull in order to woo princess Europa, and perhaps could represent one of the Cretean Bull of Herculean fame. The ancient Egyptians also worshiped a bull-god for which this constellation might represent, just as the Arabs also considered it to be bovine by nature. The Hyades cluster was meant to represent the sisters of Hyas, a great hunter, placed in the sky to honor their mourning for the loss of their brother – just as the Pleiades represent the seven sisters of Greek mythology – as well as many other things in many other cultural beliefs. The Persians called this group of stars “Taura”, just as the Arabs referred to it as “Al Thaur”.

The Milky Way

5:00 Gemini the Twins
Jesus first predicts his death just before the Transfiguration (Matthew 16:21-28). Peter says, "Never Lord! This shall never happen to you!" That is, everything is wonderful right now, let's just have it this way always and forever. But the sun can not remain at it's highest point forever. If it did there would be no seasons of the year and no harvest cycle. We rely on the harvest for our food, without which we would die. And just as the sun can not escape it's fate, so too Jesus, a personification of the sun, can not escape his fate, as he begins to tell us at this point in the story. But that is all a long way off. For now all is happy and wonderful. It's summer time, and thoughts of the sun's ultimate death in winter are easily dismissed. It's just too good a time right now. Even though Jesus is now on his way to Jerusalem, where he predicts he will die, it's still a happy story up to this point. Jesus hasn't encountered any problems yet. Indeed, the happiest point in his story is about to occur. 
To reassemble the scattered stones, work with the square and compass to put them back in regular order, look for the line of the meridian in going from the East to the West, then looking from the South to the North, finally in all directions to obtain the desired solution, stopping in front of the fourteen stones marked with a cross. The circle being the ring [coil of snake] and the crown, and to him the diadem of this QUEEN of Castel.
GEMINI, THE TWINS 
And so shall we ever be with the Lord. [1 Thessalonians 4:17]   
 Known as Castor and Pollux in Latin and Apollo and Hercules in Greek, this sign of the The Twins is a picture of two youths side by side at rest. The one on the left has a club in his hand, but even that club is in repose, leaning on his shoulder. The other figure on the right has a harp in one hand and a bow and arrow in the other. These were great hunters or warriors, but now they are enjoying a time of joy and rest. Greek mythology has them as the sons of Jupiter who had supposedly cleared the sea of pirates. Swearing oaths by Gemini sprang from this folklore as this sign of The Twins became known as a kind of guardian for seamen. The old Coptic name of this sign, Pi Mahi signifies “The United,” which is also the meaning of its Hebrew name Thaumin.  The names of the stars seem to be speak to us of the dual roles of the Messiah- Redeemer and Judge. 
The brightest star in the head of the figure that the Greeks call Hercules is Pollux meaning “The Strong One coming to Labor or Suffer.” (If you recall, Hercules is one of the decans of Scorpio. If you haven’t already, go to that chapter and read of the cleansing of the filth of the Augean stables accomplished by Hercules. It is a beautiful picture of how our Messiah came to suffer and labor for our redemption). Another star in this figure is located in the left foot with the name Al Henah, meaning “The Hurt” or “Afflicted.” This is yet another reminder of the bruising of Messiah’s heel by the serpent.   The brightest star in the head of the figure called Apollo is Castor which means “The Ruler” or Judge.” In the right knee of Apollo is a star called Mebsuta, which means “Treading Underfoot.” Once again, the protoevangelium of Genesis 3:15. Another star shown at the waist of Apollo is Wasat, an Arabic name meaning, “Set.” The work of these two figures is completed. Although the Greeks and Romans have these figures as brothers, in the earlier Dendera zodiac, the figure is that of a man walking hand in hand with a woman. The same are sometimes called Adam and Eve. But, from the names of the stars, we see that this is not the Adam of Eden, but the Second Adam, the same Seed of the woman from Virgo, the glory of YHWH who is repeatedly being declared in these heavenly frescoes. Bone of His bone, and flesh of His flesh, the figure at His side is of course the Bride of the Lamb who is destined for an everlasting union with Him in glory and dominion. This is Redemption Completed with the Bride and Bridegroom now together forevermore. But if the people of YHWH are depicted in the second figure, how is it that the names of the stars depict the suffering and reigning of Messiah? It is because we, His people, are the very Body of the Messiah. We, in a very real sense are that heel at which the Serpent strikes.     
That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; [Phillipians 3:10]   
Blessed is the man who does endure trial, for when he has been proved, he shall receive the crown of life which the Master has promised to those who love Him. [James 1:12]    
We are to share in His sufferings and so receive the crown of victory, just as He has received it from the Father. The union is such that one is in the other, and the two are so conjoined that one implies and embraces the other. There is no Messiah apart from His called-out-ones, and there are no called-out-ones except in Messiah. They are two, and yet they are one – He in them, and they in Him – so that what is His is theirs and what is theirs is His. He and His people speak the same words, pass through the same experiences, receive the same assurances, and rejoice in the same promises, hopes and honors. Hence, the names and qualities which appear in the one are at the same time construable with both, because they coexist in one another. There is a great mystery here concerning the complete Oneness that YHWH desires with us.   
That they all may be one; as You Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in us… [John 17:21a]  
When redemption is complete, death will be swallowed up forever and sin will be no more. Those who suffer in His sufferings shall share in His glorious resurrection to forever rule and reign at His side. This is the real meaning of the figures known to the world as Gemini.  
 LEPUS, THE ENEMY 
Modern planisphere’s picture this first decan of Gemini as the figure of a hare or rabbit which is under the foot of Orion. But the oldest zodiacs show the picture of a serpent. Here again, we have a picture of the evil one, the serpent, being trodden under the foot of Messiah. Orion was the slayer of the lion that goes about “seeking whom he may devour.” In his left hand he holds up the skin and head of a slain lion and holds a mighty club in his right. In addition to this, we see here that his right foot is about to step upon – not the hare – but the serpent. The brightest star in Lepus is Arnebo meaning “The Enemy of Him that Comes.” (Orion is that one who comes. Remember, the name of the brightest star in Orion is Betelguesse meaning, “The Branch Coming.”) Other stars in this serpent have the names Nibal, The Mad; Sugia, The Deceiver; and Rakis, The Bound (in Arabic it means “Bound as with a Chain”). The enemy of Him that comes is called the deceiver, the mad one, the bound with a chain. In Revelation 20, John says that he saw the old serpent who was bound with a chain and cast into a pit – This decan is a perfect picture to us of the mad deceiver of the whole world, and a reminder to us of his demise.   
CANIS MAJOR, THE PRINCE 
Also known as Sirius, this second decan is known as “The Greater Dog.” It tells of the glorious Prince who will subdue the reign. But, again in the oldest Dendera zodiac, he is called Apes, which means “The Head” and is pictured as a hawk, the natural enemy of the serpent, coming down upon it. A star in it is called Naz, meaning “Caused to Come Forth,” “Coming Swiftly Down.” It has on its head a pestle and mortar, reminding us that Messiah is going to thoroughly crush the head of the enemy, as the hawk comes down upon the serpent. The brightest star is also known as Sirius, which in Hebrew means “Prince.” It is a bright star which can be seen at night when stars are visible. A form of the word Sirius is Sar, whose root implies “To Make Oneself a Prince.” Isaiah refers to Messiah as “The Prince of Peace.” Y’shua is the Sar or Seir, the Prince of all the earth. Yet, this star named Sirius has been associated down through the centuries with great heat and with evil things coming upon the earth. Many centuries ago, before the precession of the equinoxes, it was associated with the coming of heat in summer. That is no longer true. But it did give rise to such things as the words of Virgil, who said that Sirius, “With pestilential heat infects the sky.” Homer spoke of it as a star “whose burning breath taints the red air with fever, plagues, and death.” We are told in Scripture,   And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Master Y’shua shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels. 
In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not Elohim, and that obey not the gospel of our Master Y’shua HaMashiach. [2 Thessalonians 1:7-8]   
So here is a picture of the Prince, this mighty One who is going to come with fevers, plagues, and death. It is very interesting that when the names of the stars Naz and Seir are combined, we get the word “Naz-Seir.” Y’shua is called the Naz-Seir-ene. Naz means “Sent” or “Caused to Come Swiftly,” and Seir means “Prince.” Naz-Seir means “the Sent Prince,” that One who is sent forth quickly; a Prince of all the earth who is come into the world. Biblical scholars were at a loss to explain by what prophet or what sacred prophecy it was said that Messiah should be called a Nazarene. There is no prophecy written which specifically says, “He will be called a Nazarene.” Granted, He is the man who is “The Branch” and Nazir is the Hebrew word for “Branch.” But, interestingly, the combination of these stars also produces the name “Naz-Seir.” So, the prophecy that He would be the “Sent Prince” come into the world has been in the sky from the beginning of creation. Painted here in the zodiac is the picture of Messiah, the Sent Prince who comes to bring death and destruction upon unbelievers.   
CANIS MINOR, THE REDEEMER 
Canis Minor is The Lesser Dog. But again, this is a modern picture. In the ancient Dendera zodiac it was depicted as a human figure with a hawk’s head and was called Sebak. The brightest star in the body is Procyon meaning “The Redeemer” (or redemption). So here we have in these two hawk figures confirmation of the same thing we had in Gemini; pictures of the two aspects of the work of Messiah, the One who comes to destroy the wicked and the One who comes bringing redemption. This is further supported by the next brightest star in this particular constellation named Al Gomeisa, which means “Burdened,” “Loaded,” “Bearing for Others.” Another star is named Al Shira, or Al Shemeliya, meaning “The Prince” or “Chief of the Left Hand.” So we have the “Prince of the Right Hand,” which is what Canis Major is called; and the “Prince of the Left Hand,” answering to the star in Sirius, “Prince,” corresponding perfectly to the two figures in Gemini. Apollo represents the ruler and judge, our “Sent Prince” who swoops down swiftly upon the serpent like the hawk of Canis Major. Hercules represents the Redeemer - “Burdened,” “Loaded” and one “Bearing for Others” – like the hawk of Canis Minor.  
 SUMMARY 
We may know assuredly, as even the stars in the heavens tell us, that Messiah is going to come back again. It will be a very hard time for those who are unbelievers. In fact, the star Sirius in Canis Major, because it was associated with all the terrible calamities coming upon the earth gave rise to the phrase “dog days of summer” – days that arose from the star Sirius, connected with the concept of burning heat. When Messiah returns, it will be “dog days.” It will be a time of flaming fire and searing heat. But believers shall be redeemed. We can rest in the fact that Messiah, our Head has already won the battle. He comes to claim His Bride and at the consummation of all things, we will know a union with Him that we can not now imagine within our present limitations.    
References: “The Gospel in the Stars” by Joseph A. Seiss and “The Real Meaning of the Zodiac” by Dr. James Kennedy, Ph.D.

The sign Gemini covers 60° to 90° of the celestial longitude, and is represented by The Twins. These are based on the Dioscuri of Greek mythology, two mortals that were granted shared godhood after death. Gemini is part of the Third House, traditionally named Fratres (Brothers) and currently known as the House of Communications. The associated element for Geminis is Air, and the ruling celestial body is Mercury.
Gemini’s alpha and beta stars – aka. Castor and Pollux (“The Twins”) – are the easiest to recognize and can be spotted with the naked eye. Pollux is the brighter of the two, an orange-hued giant star of magnitude 1.2 that is 34 light-years from Earth. Pollux has an extrasolar planet revolving around it, as do two other stars in Gemini, a super-Jupiter which was confirmed in 2006.
There are two annual meteor showers associated with the constellation of Gemini. The first is the March Geminids, which peaks on or around March 22nd. The average fall rate is generally about 40 per hour (but this varies) and the meteors appear to be very slow, entering our atmosphere unhurriedly and leaving lasting trails.
The second meteor shower are the Geminids themselves, which peak on or near the date of December 14th, with activity beginning up to two weeks prior and lasting for several days. The Geminids are one of the most beautiful and mysterious showers, with a rate of about 110 per hour during a moonless night.
The Gemini constellation is also associated with Messier 35, a galactic open star cluster that is easily spotted with the naked eye. The star cluster is quite young, having formed some 100 million years ago, and is quite bright due to it having blown away most of its leftover material (i.e. nebular dust and gas) that went into the star formation process. Other open clusters in Gemini include NGC 2158, which lies directly southwest of M35 in the night sky.

In mythology, Gemini is associated with the myth of Castor and Polydeuces. The two brothers Castor and Pollux were twins, of course and no one could tell them apart. According to legend, they joined Jason’s expedition aboard the Argo to the Black Sea in search of the Golden Fleece. When the Argo stopped at the entrance to the King Amycus’ realm, the king challenged them to a boxing match – mainly because no one ever survived. The brothers were known to be fit and ready, so Pollux was the first Argonaut to take on the challenge. As soon as he got a clear shot, Pollux drove his fist into Amycus’ temple, crushing his skull and ended the battle. However, the tale ends rather sadly. Their final adventure took them to lands of Arcadia with two cousins (ex-Argonauts) to raid cattle. When their ill-gotten booty was divided, the cousins took the loot and ran. Of course, Castor and Pollux followed, taking a shortcut to wait. Unfortunately, a cousin discovered Castor first shot him. When Pollux avenged his brother, the other cousin knocked him unconscious with a rock and went in for the kill. Luckily, Zeus was watching and ended the ordeal with a thunderbolt. When Pollux regained consciousness and realized Castor was join, he begged Zeus to remove his immortality. Zeus granted his wish and placed the twins in the sky to remind us of all of brotherly love.

6:00 Cancer the Crab (originally, the Turtle)
The Dog Days of Summer: the Sun/Son in all it’s/his Glory at the Summer Solstice. This is the rainy season, not the sign of Aquarius. Weather – rain – is the reaction of nature to nullify a thermal vacuum. Whose birthday is it? The Summer Solstice. Since the beginning of the year when our story began the sun has been climbing higher and higher in the sky each day. Each day the sun rises farther northward in the east, and sets farther northward in the west. The days are getting longer and brighter and warmer. On June 21 we reach the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. On this day the sun rises farthest northward, the sun climbs to its highest point in the sky, and then sets farthest northward in the west. It is the beginning of Summer, a period of bright, sunny, warm, and wonderful weather. It is at this point in the Jesus Story that we have the Transfiguration of Jesus. Jesus goes up a high mountain, the highest point Jesus reaches in the story, and shines brighter than ever, the brightest he shines in the whole story. "His face shone like the sun." (Matthew 17:1-13) 18. The sun reaches the Summer Solstice. Jesus has his transfiguration. Jesus brings with him Peter, James, and John, and at the mountain top they meet Moses and Elijah. For an interesting aside about Elijah and Moses on the Transfiguration see commentary by Bishop John Shelby Spong. 
The Summer Solstice is a turning point in our story. Up to now everything has been getting better and better. But from this day forward the sun starts slipping southward again. The sun can not escape its ultimate fate. The sun will continue slipping southward, Autumn will come, and the sun will eventually die in the cold dark of the Winter Solstice on December 22, to be resurrected again three days later, on December 25—Christmas day. This turning point is the first time we may think about the eventual death of the sun—it's ultimate fate in winter. The Summer Solstice signifies the beginning of the rainy season in Egypt, as well as the birth of John the Baptist (Aquarius? Sirius?).
The stones of the mosaic paving of the sacred place could be alternatively black or white, and JESUS like ASMODEUS, observing their alignment, my view seems incapable of seeing the summit where the marvellous sleeping one remained hidden. Not being HERCULES with magic power, decode the mysterious symbols carved by the observers of the past. In the sanctuary however the stoup, fountain of love of the believers, reminds us of these words: BY THIS SIGN YOU SHALL CONQUER.
CANCER, THE CRAB 
Cancer represents the completion of the Redeemer’s work in regard to His own. This is a picture of the people of YHWH possessed and held fast by Messiah. Kepha/Peter tells us we have been redeemed “to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled…reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of Elohim through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Kepha 1:4-5). Here is a revelation of the keeping power of Elohim and salvation in the heavens above. In the midst of Cancer is one of the brightest nebulous clusters in all of the heavens called Praesepe, meaning “The Multitude,” “The Offspring,” “The Innumerable Seed.” True born again believers are the heavenly multitude which is kept here by YHWH. One of the most obvious things about a crab is the two claws by which it grasps something and holds it firmly. So here we have a picture of the Remnant, which is being held as a possession of Messiah, taken to its heavenly home. Like the crab which lives in two elements – water and land – so believers live in two elements: the earth and also the heavens. Its many legs indicate multitudinous development, so the Body of Messiah has multiplied exceedingly. 
The Egyptian’s name for this constellation is Klaria, meaning “The Folds,” “The Resting-Places.” The Syriac name is Sartano, which means “The One Who Holds,” and is a picture of Messiah who holds and keeps His own... The word Cancer is related to the Noetic word Khan, which means “The Traveler’s Resting Place ” and ker or cer, which means “Embraced,” “Encircled.” Thus Khan-Cer or Cancer, as the Romans used it, means “The Traveler’s Resting Place for the Encircled” or “The Embraced.” The star, Tegmine, in the tail of the crab means “The Sheltering” or “ Hiding Place .” Another star is called in Arabic Al Himerein, “The Kids” or “The Lambs.” Then there is Ma’alaph, meaning “Assembled Thousands.” It is a picture of the Savior’s possession held fast – the assembled thousands in the heavens above held by the Savior and the completion of His work.   
URSA MINOR, THE LESSER SHEEPFOLD 
On a planisphere, Ursa Minor is found near the center of the ecliptic and is called today The Little Bear. However, there is no bear in the planispheres of the Chaldeans, Persians, Egyptians or the Indians. The most ancient zodiacs picture both Ursa Minor and Ursa Major as sheepfolds. One of the brightest stars in Ursa Major is the star Dubheh, which means a “Herd of Animals” and is very similar to the Hebrew word Dowb, which means “Bear.” This is probably why the name of these signs changed over time. These were originally “The Lesser Fold” and “The Greater Fold,” the gathering together of the people of YHWH. The brightest star in Ursa Minor is at the end of his long tail and is called in Arabic Al-Ruccaba. We know it as Polaris or The Pole Star, the North Star – the star in the heavens upon which the entire heavens now seem to turn. In the precession of the equinoxes, we have seen how the stars have changed over the centuries. 
If we go back 6,000 years when this was first set forth, the Pole Star was not Polaris, but, rather, it was the star Draconis, the main star in Draco, The Dragon. At that time, Satan had deceived Adam and Eve. He had brought them into the Fall, precipitated their destruction, and came to rule over the earth. The whole world was in the hands of the evil one. So it seemed that even as they looked up into the heavens, all of the heavens rotated around the Dragon. But, there has been a change that’s taken place, and as a result, the heavens now revolve around the star Polaris in the tail of Ursa Minor. 
The Greeks called this star Cynosure which means “Dog’s Tail.” (No one knows how a dog’s tail ended up on a bear. Besides that, no bear ever had a tail so long). Regardless, this was the star upon which sailors looked to for direction. The word “Cynosure” has come to be a word in the English language which means anything upon which the attention of all the world is fixed. This is extremely interesting because here in this constellation is a picture of the Body of Messiah, which has become central in the drama of the ages. It matters not what men may call important because the real drama has to do with His-story of redemption for His people. What YHWH is really concerned with in this world is what is happening in and among His people. Increasingly, as the Body of believers grows, it is becoming more and more obvious, and more and more attention is being drawn to it. However, that attention is not always favorable, and people are not always happy with it. Those who are its enemies may gnash their teeth and rage, and yet it becomes increasingly a Cynosure – a center of attraction. 
 This is of course, even more thoroughly true of Y’shua our Messiah, the Head of the Body.  He is the very center of all the ages. There was once a man by the name of H. G. Wells, who was a complete skeptic and not a believer. He was known to have remarked that though he was an historian, and wrote his great Outline of History, he found it strange that a skeptic like himself could not trace the history of this planet without realizing that more and more it came to focus on the lowly Y’shua of Nazareth, who is the Cynosure of the ages – the One to whom all eyes are increasingly turned in our world. The next brightest star in Ursa Minor is Kochab which means “Waiting Him Who Comes.” Another star is Alpherkadain (Arabic) which means “The Redeemed Assembly.” So, we see by the names of all of these stars that the message is clear. This “Lesser Sheepfold” is a picture of the gathering of Elohim’s people in the heavens.        
URSA MAJOR, THE GREATER SHEEPFOLD 
Probably one of the best know of all constellations is Ursa Major. We don’t know it as The Great Bear as the Greeks called it, but as The Big Dipper. Like Ursa Minor, Ursa Major is neither a dipper nor a bear. Rather, it is the greater sheepfold, as pictured in the most ancient planispheres or zodiacs of the various nations. Someone may ask why there are two sheepfolds and not just one and why there is a lesser fold and a greater. The answer is that the Israel of old – the smaller Body of YHWH’s people- are the lesser sheepfold, and the Israel of today - encompassing all tribes, and nations in the commonwealth – is the greater sheepfold. In Arabic, the name of this constellation is Al Naish, meaning “The Assembled Together.” The brightest star is Dubheh, a “Herd” or “Fold.” Another star is Merach, which in Hebrew means “The Flock,” or in Arabic, “Purchased.” Born again Believers are Messiah’s flock; they are also those whom He purchased with His own blood. Another bright star in Ursa Major is Pachda, meaning “Visited,” “Guarded,” or “Numbered.” We have been visited by Elohim incarnate, and we His people are His Guarded and Numbered ones. He has counted all His own and knows all of His elect. Their names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.   Other stars in Ursa Major are El Alcola, “The Sheepfold”; Cab’d al Asad, “Multitude of the Assembled”; El Kaprah, “The Protected,” or in Hebrew, “The Redeemed” or “Ransomed.” A more familiar star, Callisto, again means “The Sheepfold.” So there is no doubt whatsoever that when you look at the names of the stars, they are a united and unfailing testimony. There are numerous other stars which have similar names in the two constellations of Ursa Minor and Ursa Major. Yet all point to the very same thing: this is the sheepfold containing the vast multitude of the numbered, guarded, protected and redeemed people of YHWH. This is the work of Messiah who has gathered together His lambs into that heavenly sheepfold – that place which He has prepared for them.   
ARGO, THE SHIP 
The third and final decan of Cancer is Argo. This is located outside of the ecliptic and presents the figure of a large ship. Argo means “The Ship.” Here we have a picture of the pilgrims safe at last in harbor. In this ship, the sails are rolled up. It is not a ship in the midst of a journey, but it is a ship which has completed its journey and is now at rest in a safe harbor at home. In Greek mythology, Jason, the Captain of the ship, with a great band of heroes for a crew known as the Argonauts, went out on a journey in search of the Golden Fleece (the fleece which came from Aries, The Lamb who had been made an atoning sacrifice). In this decan, our Messiah is depicted as Jason, the Captain of the well-fought fight. The ship is also Messiah wherein the Argonauts (His people) are brought safely home. Jason’s quest was to restore lost innocence and righteousness.. To do this, he had to travel to the city of Colchis, and there in a garden he found the Golden Fleece hanging upon a tree guarded by a serpent. Jason alone was able to destroy the serpent and recover the Golden Fleece (innocence and righteousness). The Argo and all of its heroes have endured the many trials, sufferings and dangers and now at last the ship has been brought safely home to a harbor of rest. 
The word Argo comes from roots meaning “The Company of Travelers..” The bright star in Argo is Canopus, meaning “The Possession of Him Who Comes.” Another star, Sephina, means “The Multitude.” And the star named Tureis means “The Possession” – once again confirming that this is all about the possession of Messiah. There is an interesting thing about the ship of the Argonauts. On the prow is featured the head of a lion. On all ships, the head of whatever figure is facing forward, but on Argo this head is facing into the nave of the ship, looking down upon those who inhabited and sailed in that ship. 
Messiah is of course, the great Lion of the tribe of Judah . He is the One who is protecting and watching over His own. So, in Argo, we have a picture of the ship of the people of YHWH, arriving home at last to their final harbor of rest. Having secured the Golden Fleece to cover its nakedness – produced by the slain Lamb which gave its life for their covering – now, at last, with sails rolled up; it is at peace and at ease in the harbor and haven above.   
References: “The Gospel in the Stars” by Joseph A. Seiss and “The Real Meaning of the Zodiac” by Dr. James Kennedy, Ph.D..    

Cancer, which covers 90° to 120° of celestial longitude, is represented by The Crab – or Karkinos, a giant crab from Greek mythology that harassed Hercules during his fight with the Hydra. The sign is associated with the Fourth House – Genitor (Parent) in Latin, or the House of Home and Family in modern times. In terms of the elements, Cancers are characterized by the element of Water, and the ruling celestial body of Cancer is The Moon.
Cancer’s best known star is Beta Cancri, also known by its Arab name Altarf (“the End”). This 3.5 magnitude star is located 290 light-years from Earth and is a binary star system that consists of a spectral type K4III orange giant and a magnitude 14 red dwarf. This system is also home to a confirmed exoplanet, beta Cancri b, which is a Super-Jupiter with an orbital period of over 600 days.
In terms of deep-sky objects, Cancer is best known as being the home of Messier Object 44 (aka. Praesepe, or the Beehive Cluster), an open cluster located in the center of the constellation. Located 577 light-years from Earth, it is one of the nearest open clusters to our Solar System. M44 contains about 50 stars, the brightest of which are of the sixth magnitude.
The smaller, denser open cluster of Messier Object 67 can also be found in Cancer, which is 2500 light-years from Earth and contains approximately 200 stars. And so can the famous quasar, QSO J0842+1835, which was used to measure the speed of gravity in the VLBI experiment conducted by Edward Fomalont and Sergei Kopeikin in September 2002.
The active galaxy OJ 287 is also found in the Cancer constellation. Located 3.5 billion light years away from Earth, this galaxy has a central supermassive black hole that is one of the largest known (with 18 billion solar masses), and produces quasi-periodic optical outbursts. There is only one meteor shower associated with the constellation of Cancer, which is the Delta Cancrids. The peak date for this shower is on or about January 16t, and has been known to average only about 4 comets per hour (and the meteors are very swift).

In mythology, Cancer was part of the Twelve Labors of Hercules. While Hercules was busy fighting the multi-headed monster (Hydra), the goddess Hera – who did not like Hercules – sent the Crab to distract him. Cancer grabbed onto the hero’s toe with its claws, but was crushed by Hercule’s mighty foot. Hera, grateful for the little crustacean’s heroic sacrifice, gave it a place in the sky. Given that the crab did not win, the gods didn’t give it any bright stars.
The first recorded examples of the Cancer constellation come from the 2nd millennium BCE, where it was known to Akkadian astronomers as the “Sun of the South”. This was most likely due to its position at the summer solstice during ancient antiquity. By classical antiquity, Cancer came to be called the “Gate of Men”, based on the beleif that it was the portal through which souls came and went from the heavens.
Cancer’s stature as a constellation of the Zodiac has remained steadfast over the millennia, thought its position has changed. Over two thousand years ago, the sun shone in front of the constellation during the Northern Hemisphere’s summer solstice. Today, the Sun resides in front of the constellation Taurus when the summer solstice sun reaches its northernmost point.

7:00 Leo the Lion
Revelations 4:7, "and the first living creature like a lion, and the second living creature like a calf, and the third living creature having the face as of a man, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle."
Leo = Lion
Virgo = Calf
Libra = Man
Scorpio = Eagle

From her that I wanted to free, rose towards me the emanations of perfume which permeate the sepulchre. Once some called her: ISIS, queen of the beneficent springs, COME TO ME ALL YOU WHO SUFFER AND WHO ARE OVERWHELMED AND I WILL COMFORT YOU, otherwise: MADELEINE, with the famous vase full of healing balm. The initiates know the true name: NOTRE DAME DES CROSS.
LEO, THE LION 
We come now to the twelfth and final chapter of this study of the Zodiac. If you have started from the beginning at Virgo and read every chapter up to this point, I am sure that, like me, you can say that your faith and wonder at the glory of YHWH has been strengthened. How awesome Our Elohim is to have written these prophecies in the heavens revealing His plan for our redemption. Through diligent search, we find the true purpose of the Zodiac to be self evident; the detailed prophetic message to man of a coming Savior, His virgin birth, His death on a cross, His resurrection, His impartation of new life to us, His return as Judge and King, the destruction of Satan and the end of all evil, our union with Him, and the eternal reward for the righteous. 
Leo  means virtually the same, whether you look at it in the Arabic, Hebrew, Coptic or Syriac. It means “He that Rends, That Tears Asunder.” The lion is a majestic, kingly and noble creature. It is the king of beasts and is spiritually represented by the King of kings. The lion is a very familiar figure throughout the Scriptures. When Jacob blessed Judah , he told him he would be a lion. David, the great son of Judah , was a man of war and went forth to conquer. So too, the greatest son of Judah is described as “the Lion of the tribe of Judah ; the root of David.”  
In Revelation 5:5 John was told: “Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah , the root of David, has prevailed to open the book” – this book which contained the mystic blessings of Elohim which seemed to have been forfeited by the sin of man forever. There was no one able to break the seven seals and restore to man the lost blessings – none but the Lion and when John was called to look upon this Lion, he saw a Lamb as it had been slain. There is no end to searching our Elohim. He is the Aleph and the Tav, the beginning and the end. He is the Lamb and He is the Lion. At His first coming, our Messiah was the Lamb, meek and humble, who willingly shed His blood to save us. But, at His return to the world, He will be the Lion, terrible and mighty, who comes in great power and glory!   
Therefore I will be unto them as a lion….I will devour them like a lion: the wild beast shall tear them. [Hosea 13:7-8]   
Now consider this, you that forget Elohim, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver. [Psalm 50:22]   
We see here in these Scriptures where YHWH represents Himself as a Lion – “He that Tears Asunder” which is the meaning of Leo, The Lion. The stars in this constellation make the meaning even clearer. The chief star, situated in the lion’s breast bears the name of Regal, which means “The Treading Underfoot.” It is said that the forepaw of the lion can exert the same force as dropping a twenty-five pound hammer. With one blow of its paw it can break the backbone of an ox or crush the skull of a horse. With one stroke its claws can cut four inches into the flesh of another beast. No wonder man is ill-equipped to fight with a lion! This is an awesome and terrifying representative of YHWH when He is stirred up to wrath. 
 The picture of this constellation shows a lion who is about to land with both paws onto the head or neck of a serpent. Some of the other stars in Leo are Denebola, which means  “The Judge,” “The Lord Who Comes Quickly”; Zosma, meaning “The Shining Forth,”  “The Epiphany” (or “Manifestation,” as when Messiah shall come again); Minchir al Asad, meaning in Arabic “The Punishing” or “Tearing of Him Who Lays Waste”; Al Defera, meaning “The Putting Down of the Enemy.” These paint a vivid picture of the wrath of the Lamb; the coming forth of Messiah in final judgment and victory over His foes. 
 We see an order to the events as they will play out in time. The previous sign of Cancer and all of its decans, showed how the people of YHWH, His Bride, will be brought to safe harbor. Messiah will securely bring His own unto Himself. But then, before the end, there will be the destruction of His enemies. In this final sign of The Lion it is incontestable that this is a picture of the destruction of the wicked.   
HYDRA, THE SERPENT         
The first decan of Leo is the constellation Hydra, which is a very huge serpent. On a planisphere, it is outside of the ecliptic taking up one-third of the entire circle. The head of the serpent is beneath the feet of the Lion – yet another reminder of the protoevangelium, the first presentation of the gospel given to us in Genesis 3:15. Messiah, we are told in Scripture, came into this world in order to destroy the works of Satan. This is what we have seen presented repeatedly in the pictures given throughout the entire Zodiac. In this final picture, Satan is about to fall into the clutches (the claws) of the Lion and be completely destroyed. The great Serpent was first seen at the center of the ecliptic in Draco, The Dragon. The brightest star in that Serpent is Thuban, The Subtle, which was the original Pole Star. Satan assumed the center of attention after the Fall of man as he brought all the world into subjection to his vile will. But now, at the end of the story, we see in Hydra that the Serpent is on the outside of the great circle of the ecliptic. This picture is our assurance that in the end, when The Lion comes, the so-called “prince of the earth” will be cast out into outer darkness and utterly destroyed. 
There are many myths about Hydra. In Greek mythology, this great monster dwelt in the Lernaean Lake – a picture of the corruption and vileness of this world. It was said to be a hundred-headed monster (from which the term “hydra-headed” monster is derived). Every time somebody would cut off one of Hydra’s heads, two others would appear, making it impossible to destroy the monster that way. These heads of Hydra could only be destroyed by fire. No one but Herakles (in Roman, Hercules) could defeat this Serpent, which he did by cutting off the heads and applying a red hot iron to sear the wounds to prevent them from multiplying again. This task was of course beyond the abilities of any mere man. It required a Hero, a “God-Man” of super-human strength. Hercules and Leo are one and the same, as are all the heroic figures in this prophetic painting of redemption given us in the Zodiac. Satan will only be defeated by our coming “El Gibbor,” our “Mighty One,” Y’shua, our Hercules and our Leo. The name Hydra means “He is Abhorred.” The brightest star in this constellation is located in the neck of the monster and is called Al Phard, meaning “The Separated,” “The Excluded,” “The Put Out of the Way.” John tells us that the Devil shall be bound with a great chain and cast into a bottomless pit. Another star in this constellation is Minchir al Sugia, meaning “Tearing to Shreds of the Deceiver.”     
 CRATER, THE CUP 
This cup is called “The Cup of Wrath.”   
The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of Elohim, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indignation; [Revelation 14:10a]   
Upon the wicked He shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and a horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. [Psalm 11:6]   
For in the hand of YHWH there is a cup, and the wine is red; it is full of mixture; and He pours out of the same: but the dregs thereof, all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them. [Psalm 75:8]   
This cup is fixed right on the back of the Serpent. As a matter of fact, the two stars which make up the base of the cup are also a part of the Serpent, so that the cup is affixed to Hydra. We are reminded that it was through the serpent that the curse originally came into the world. This curse which has so plagued the world over the centuries is now to be poured out upon Satan and upon all of his followers.   
CORVUS, THE RAVEN 
Finally, we come to the third and last decan of Leo, the final figure in the great gallery and portraiture of the heavens, known as Corvus, The Raven. On a planisphere the Raven is also shown on the back of the Serpent. All three of the decans of Leo are connected, and are outside the ecliptic of the sun. Here is a picture of life in outer darkness, cast away forever.   
The eye that mocks at his father, and despises to obey his mother, the ravens of the valley shall pick it out. [Proverbs 30:17]   
David spoke to Goliath saying that after he killed him, he would give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines to “the fowls of the air” (1 Samuel 17:46). This is also the kind of thing we read about at the battle of Armageddon;   
And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great Elohim; That you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bound, both small and great….And the remnant were slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of His mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh. [Revelation 19:17-18 & 21]   
Flesh eating birds accompany the destruction of the wicked. Corvus, The Raven is here to remind us of this. The name of this constellation in Arabic is Minchir al Gorab, which means “The Raven’s Piercing or Tearing to Pieces.” The brightest star, located in the eye of this ill-omened bird is called Al Chiba, which comes from the Hebrew and means “The Curse Afflicted.”   
 SUMMARY 
The Lion who tears apart, The Cup of YHWH’s wrath, and The Raven to eat the flesh; all falling upon The Serpent… How can there be any doubt as to what the meaning of this final chapter is for unbelievers?   This brings us to the end of Book Three, “Redemption Completed” (Taurus to Leo) and the end of the prophetic witness that YHWH has given us in the stars. How awesome He is to have given us, in addition to the gospel of the Scriptures written in pen, this gospel written with a diamond-studded pen of the starry skies. More than ever, we know now that the heavens do declare the glory of Elohim (Psalm 19:1) and that He has not left us without witness (Acts 14:17).   
References: “The Gospel in the Stars” by Joseph A. Seiss and “The Real Meaning of the Zodiac” by Dr. James Kennedy, Ph.D.

Those born under the sign of Leo, which covers 120° to 150° of celestial longitude, carry the sign of The Lion – which is based on the Nemean Lion of Greek mythology, a lion that had an impenetrable hide. The sign of Leo is tied to the Fifth House, known in Latin as Nati (Children), or by its modern name, House of Pleasure. The sign of Leo is also associated with the element of Fire and the ruling celestial body of Leo is The Sun.
There are five annual meteor showers associated with the constellation Leo. The first is the Delta Leonid meteor stream, which begins between February 5th through March 19th every year. The activity peaks in late February, and the maximum amount of meteors averages around 5 per hour. The next is the Sigma Leonid meteor shower, which begins on April 17th. This is a very weak shower, with activity rates no higher than 1 to 2 per hour.
The next is the November Leonids, the largest and most dependable meteor shower associated with the Leo constellation. The peak date is November 17th, but activity occurs around 2 days on either side of the date. The radiant is near Regulus and this is the most spectacular of modern showers.
The shower is made more spectacular by the appearance of the Temple-Tuttle comet, which adds fresh material to the stream when it is at perihelion. The last is the Leo Minorids, which peak on or about December 14th, which is believed to produce around 10 faint meteors per hour.
Leo is also home to some of the largest structures in the observable universe. This includes many bright galaxies, which includes the Leo Triplet (aka. the M60 group). This group of objects is made up of three spiral galaxies – Messier 65, Messier 66, and NGC 3628.
The Triplet is at a distance of 37 million light-years from Earth and has a somewhat distorted shape due to gravitational interactions with the other members of the Triplet, which are pulling stars away from M66. Both M65 and M66 are visible in large binoculars or small telescopes, but seeing them in all of their elongated glory requires a telescope.
In addition, it is also home to the famous objects Messier 95, Messier 96, and Messier 105. These are spiral galaxies, in the case of M95 and M96 (with M95 being a barred spiral), while Messier 105 is an elliptical galaxy which is known to have a supermassive black hole at its center. Then there is the Leo Ring (aka. Cosmic Horseshoe) a cloud of hydrogen and helium gas, that orbits two galaxies found within this constellation.

In Greek mythology, Leo was identified as the Nemean Lion, which may have been the source of the “tail” of the lion that killed Hercules during one of his twelve labors. While many constellations are difficult to visualize, Leo’s backwards question-mark is relatively easily to picture as a majestic lion set in stars. One of the reasons for its placement in the zodiac is possibly due to the fact that lions left their place in the desert for the banks of the Nile when the Sun was positioned in these stars. It is also possible that the Nile’s rise at this time and the lion’s migration is also the reason for the Sphinx to appear as it does – a leonine figure. The Persians called it Ser or Shir; the Turks, Artan; the Syrians, Aryo; the Jewish, Arye; the Indians, “Sher”; and the Babylonians, Aru — all meaning a lion. Early Hindu astronomers recognized it by regal names, as did other cultures. All befitting of the “King of Beasts”!
8:00 Virgo the Maiden / Abyss and Hydra the Cosmic Serpent
Calf
I was like the shepherds of the famous painter POUSSIN , confused in front of the enigma: "ET IN ARCADIA EGO..."! The voice of the blood [race] would it show me the image of an ancestral past. Yes, the light of the genius crossed my mind. I saw again, I understood! I knew now this fabulous secret. And marvellous, when from the leaps of the four horsemen, the shoes of one horse had left four imprints on the rock, here is the sign which DELACROIX had given in one of the three pictures from the chapel of angels. Here is the seventh sentence which a hand had traced: DELIVER ME FROM THE MIRE, SO THAT I DO NOT STAY THERE SINKING. two times IS, embalmer and embalmed, miraculous vase of the eternal White Lady of Legends.
Et in Arcadia Ego= Even in Death, I Am… connected to Virgo denotes the father’s re-manifestation through the sacred offspring as the son.

SATAN’S LIE
Satan is a counterfeiter and wherever a great truth can be found, you can be sure that our enemy will always find a way to muddy the waters. The original purpose of the zodiac is the proclamation of the Gospel. It is a glorious sky-painting of Y’shua Ha Mashiach and His work of Redemption for mankind. But, Satan has all the world believing that the zodiac possesses mysteriously magical powers that affect and control all of our lives. Rather than trusting in the One to which the stars point us to, people who practice Astrology trust in the stars themselves. The Bible strongly condemns astrology (see Isaiah 47:13-14). To use the stars for personal horoscopes and fortune telling is a demonic and deceptive counterfeit to the original purpose of the prophetic proclamation of what is known as “Biblical Astrology.” Satan’s counterfeit only brings bondage. YHWH’s original will set you free!
WRITTEN IN THE STARS
The book of Job, which is thought by many to be the oldest book in the Bible, goes back to approximately 2150 BC, which is 650 years before Moses began to write the Torah. In chapter 38, YHWH speaks to Job of Pleiades and Orion. Also in the book of Job, mention is made of the constellations Cetus, and Draco. In Job 38:32, YHWH states; Can you bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? Mazzaroth is the Hebrew word meaning, “The constellations of the Zodiac.” In what may be the oldest book in all of human history, we find that the constellations of the zodiac were already clearly known and understood.
According to Arabic tradition, the signs of the zodiac came from Seth and Enosh, the son and grandson of Adam. This tradition is interesting since it links the zodiac to the beginning of man’s existence lending a compelling explanation to the ancient and universal understanding of these signs in the heavens.
In Genesis we read;
…and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.
[Genesis 1:14b]
It’s easy to understand how the sun, moon and stars are about seasons, days and years, but how are they signs? A sign is something which proclaims a message. What is the message of the stars?
The heavens declare the glory of Elohim; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day to day utters speech, and night unto night shows knowledge.
[Psalm 19:1-2]
Ancient mythologies (derived from the Zodiac) tell a story of a God-Man, born of a virgin performing wonders and paying the highest price to save us. He is the hero who is stronger than our enemies destroying all evil in the end. He rises up from death and reigns victorious in a new kingdom with those he has saved. This is the mythology of pagan civilizations. This is the message of the stars!
I submit to you that the message of the stars, is the plan of redemption, written by the hand of YHWH Himself, and revealed to Adam and to his sons and grandsons and that message has gone out into all of the civilizations of the world passed down through the centuries.
There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.
[Psalm 19:3-4a]
PREVIEW
Virgo is the starting place of the story, not Aries, as is commonly thought. The key that unlocks this mystery is the sphinx. This is confirmed in a great sky painting found in the Temple of Esneh in Egypt which shows the whole picture of the zodiac with all of its constellations. Between Virgo and Leo, there is carved the figure of the sphinx with the head of a woman and the body of a lion. The woman’s face is looking at The Virgin and the lion’s tail is pointing at the Lion, telling us where we are to begin and end.
There are 12 Major Constellations telling the prophecies; each one is designed with 3 additional constellations known as decans. These 12 with their 3 are called a house and each one reveals its own special prophetic message.
Although none of the constellations look anything like the pictures they represent, each group of stars has a story attached to them that has come to us through the ages.
This gospel in the stars divides into three books, each with four grand chapters, and each chapter divided into four distinct sections. The following is a brief outline of Book One;
Book One – THE REDEEMER PROMISED
Chapter One
a. VIRGO – The Seed of the Woman
b. COMA – The desire of Nations
c. CENTAURUS – The man of Double Nature in Humiliation
d. BOOTES – The Exalted Shepherd and Harvester
Chapter Two
a. LIBRA – Price to be Paid
b. CRUX – The Cross Endured
c. VICTIMA – The Victim Slain
d. CORONA BOREALIS – The Crown Purchased
Chapter Three
a. SCORPIO – Cleft in the Conflict
b. OPHIUCHUS – The Struggle with the Enemy
c. SERPENS – The Serpent’s Coils
d. HERCULES – The Toiling Vanquishet of Evil
Chapter Four
a. SAGITTARIUS - The Double Natured One Triumphing as a Warrior
b. LYRA - He Gladdens the Heavens
c. ARA – He Builds the Fires of Punishment
d. DRACO – He Casts Down the Dragon
VIRGO- The Seed of the Woman
Virgo means virgin in Arabic, Greek and Latin. Everywhere in every language it is very clear that this is not merely a woman; she is clearly a virgin. The prophecies immediately come to mind.
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed…
[Genesis 3:15a]
Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
[Isaiah 7:14b]
She holds in her right hand a branch and in her left hand some sheaves of corn or wheat.
Prophecy speaks of Y’shua being the Branch;
I will bring forth My servant the Branch
{Zechariah 3:8]
In that day shall the branch of YHWH be beautiful and glorious.
[Isaiah 4:2a]
To confirm this, the brightest star in Virgo is called Spica, which also means “The Branch.”
The seed is of course in the corn or wheat that she holds in her left hand. Y’shua used the figure “the seed of corn” which, unless it falls into the ground and dies, abides alone.
So, Virgo tells us that a virgin is going to bring forth the Branch which will be the Seed of the woman. The 3 decans which follow elaborate further upon this theme.
COMA, The Desired
Coma depicts a woman sitting in a chair holding a child in her arms. Coma means “the Desired One,” or “Longed for One.” In Egyptian, the name is Shes-nu meaning “The Desired Son.”
…and the desire of all nations shall come…
[Haggai 2:7b]
We are told in ancient tradition that the star of Bethlehem was in the constellation Coma. Tradition also tells us that Zoroaster, the Persian religious leader, was a student of Daniel when he was in Babylon, and from Daniel, he learned that a star would appear in the constellation Coma at the proper time when that One whom it foretold was to be born.
In the 8th Century, lived an Arabian astronomer by the name of Albumazar. He has come to be known as one of the greatest gatherers of all ancient knowledge about astronomy.
Here is a quote from this non-Messiainic Arabain astronomer;
There arises in the first decan, as the two Hermes and Aescalius teach, a young woman whose Persian name translated into Arabic is Adrenedefa, a pure and immaculate virgin, holding in the hand two ears of corn, sitting on a throne, nourishing an infant, in the act of feeding him, who has a Hebrew name (the boy, I say) by some nations called IHESU…which we in Greek call KRISTOS.
[Albumazar- great ancient Arabic astronomer]
In summary, Coma pictures a virgin holding her son who is the Desired One of all the nations- The Messiah!
CENTAURUS, The Centaur
The Centaur is part horse and part man. Coma is now a man. However, this second decan shows us that he is a very unusual man, for he is one with two natures. In Hebrew, he is called Bezeh meaning “the despised one.”
He is despised and rejected of men.
[Isaiah 53:3a]
Although the original meaning of this sign (and all others) became corrupted through mythologies, the original meaning still shines through. For example, in Greek mythology, centaurs were heaven begotten. They were born of the clouds; they were sons of the gods. But, they were hated by both gods and men. They were combatted, driven to the mountains and finally exterminated. The most famous of centaurs was called Cheiron, who was renowned for his hunting, for medicine, for music, for teaching and for prophecy. He was thought to be immortal, but he voluntarily agreed to die and transferred his immortality to Prometheus. This is of course speaking to us of Messiah who was to come to us as a great Teacher, Healer and Prophet, and although immortal, would give up His life and transfer His immortality to others.
Centaurus is pictured just above another decan belonging to Libra known as Crux or The Southern Cross. He is pictured as a hunter with a spear and is slaying a beast called Victima. This is Messiah slaying Himself upon a cross.
No man takes it [My life] from me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.
[John 10:18]
BOOTES, The Coming One
Bootes is a man moving forward and from the way his legs are placed we can see that he is moving very quickly. In one hand, he holds a spear and in the other, he holds a sickle.
The Egyptians called him Smat, which means “One Who Rules, Subdues, and Governs.” The name Bootes comes from the Hebrew word “Bo,” which means “To Come.” He is “The Coming One.” In his head is a star which astronomers today call “Beta” but the name of it is “Nekkar,” which means “The Pierced.” The Pierced One is coming quickly to rule, subdue and govern. We also see by the sickle in his hand that he comes as the harvester of the earth. We read in Revelation 14:15 of Messiah who comes in the clouds with a sickle in His hand at the end of this age.
SUMMARY
In the first of the 12 houses of the zodiac, we have an overview of the whole gospel message. In Virgo, we see the Seed of the woman who is The Branch brought forth through a virgin. In Coma, we find him to be the long awaited one; the Desire of all nations. In Centaurus, we learn that he will be a man with two natures, one of heaven and one of earth, who will be a great teacher, healer and prophet; one who gives his life freely and conveys his immortality to others when he slays the victim upon a cross.
Finally, we see him coming quickly with great power as Bootes- “The Coming One,” “The Ruler,” “The Governor,” and “The Harvester of the Earth.”
Do we need another sign? Look how much YHWH has told us in this first house, and yet this is only the first of 12.
References: "The Gospel in the Stars" by Josph Seiss & "The Real meaning of the Zodiac" by Dr. James Kennedy, Ph.D.

The sign of Virgo, which covers 150° to 180° of celestial longitude, is represented by the The Maiden. Based on Astraea from Greek mythology, the maiden was the last immortal to abandon Earth at the end of the Silver Age, when the gods fled to Olympus. Virgo is part of the Sixth House – Valetudo (Health) in Latin, or House of Health in modern times. They are also associated with the element of Earth and the ruling celestial body of Virgo is Mercury.
The brightest star in the Virgo constellation is Spica, a binary and rotating ellipsoidal variable – which means the two stars are so close together that they are egg-shaped instead of spherical – located between 240 and 260 light years from Earth. The primary is a blue giant and a variable star of the Beta Cephei type.
Besides Spica, other bright stars in Virgo include Beta Virginis (Zavijava), Gamma Virginis (Porrima), Delta Virginis (Auva) and Epsilon Virginis (Vindemiatrix). Other fainter stars that were also given names are Zeta Virginis (Heze), Eta Virginis (Zaniah), Iota Virginis (Syrma) and Mu Virginis (Rijl al Awwa). Virgo’s stars are also home to a great many exoplanets, with 35 verified exoplanets orbiting 29 of its stars.
The star 70 Virginis was one of the first planetary systems to have a confirmed exoplanet discovered orbiting it, which is 7.5 times the mass of Jupiter. The star Chi Virginis has one of the most massive planets ever detected, at a mass of 11.1 times that of Jupiter. The sun-like star 61 Virginis has three planets: one is a super-Earth and two are Neptune-mass planets.

In mythology, Virgo is meant to represent the “Virgin”, but who exactly this woman is has never been established – only that she plays an important cultural role. Virgo is often portrayed carrying two sheaves of wheat, one of which is marked by the bright star Alpha – Spica – and it is the only astrological sign represented by a female. Perhaps she is Astraea, the virgin daughter of Zeus who was known as the goddess of justice. After all, Libra, the scales of justice is nearby! 

9:00 Libra the Scales
Started in the shadows, my journey could only be finished in light. At the window of the ruined house I gazed across the trees stripped by autumn to the summit of the mountain. The cross of crete stood out under the midday sun, it was the fourteenth and the biggest of all with its 35 centimetres! Here I am therefore on my horse ride [tour] on a divine steed crossing the abyss.
Man: Thoth / Anubis, the baptizer
LIBRA – THE SCALES, the Required Price Paid
The major sign in this second house is Libra meaning “The Scales” in Latin. In Hebrew, it is Mozanaim, “The Scales Weighing.” This calls to mind the word to King Darius in the book of Daniel;
You are weighed in the balances (scales) and are found wanting.
[Daniel 5:27]
Libra presents a picture of two scales, one higher and one lower. These scales represent the whole theme of redemption. There is a price due for sin and someone MUST pay it. But who is worthy? And what does redemption mean anyway?
Redemption comes from the Latin word, “emptio” which means “to buy” or “to purchase” with the prefix “re.” In the word, “redemption,” the “d” is put in merely for euphony so that there are not two “e’s” in a row. So, “redemption” means “to purchase back.”
Sometimes, even a secular artist can write the most amazing lyrics under inspiration. A lyric that has always stuck with me is from the song entitled “Woodstock” by Joni Mitchell;
We are star dust
We are golden
Yet we’re caught in the devil’s bargain
And we’ve got to get ourselves back to the garden
This is so profound and so biblically based. I am certain she did not comprehend the full extent of what she was saying. The problem with the business of getting “back to the garden” is that there is a heavy price required - a purchasing back to get us free from the “devil’s bargain.” Libra speaks to us of the costly price required to buy us back from the clutches of Satan’s grip. Libra assures that the costly price can and will be paid in full by the promised Messiah, our wonderful Redeemer.
He … redeemed them from the hand of the enemy. 
[Psalm 106:10b]
There are three bright stars in this constellation which tell it all. The brightest star in the lower scale is called Zuben al Genubi, which means, “the Price Deficient.” This is all of us who have fallen short of the glory of Elohim (see Romans 3:23). Man left to his own effort can not achieve the righteousness required and remains hopelessly condemned.
But, in the upper scale, there is another bright star with the name, Zuben al Chemali meaning “the Price Which Covers.” With Messiah placed in the scales, we have the weight which causes us to be acceptable.
He has made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of Elohim in Him.
[2 Corinthians 5:21]
You are worthy…for You were slain, and have redeemed us to Elohim by Your blood...
[Revelation 5:9]
The third brightest star is located just outside the bottom of the lower scale and is called Zuben Akrabi which means “the Price of the Conflict” and signifies just how much it cost our Redeemer to purchase that covering for us. In some of the ancient pictures of the zodiac it is interesting to see that the lower scale is held in the claw of the Scorpion – a picture of mankind held in the grip of Satan.
CRUX – THE SOUTHERN CROSS
Crux is The Cross commonly known as “The Southern Cross.” It is situated directly under the feet of The Centaur. This is a constellation that actually looks like the picture it portrays – a cross. It is found in the very lowest part of the sphere and in the darkest part of the heavens. Due to the precession of the equinoxes, The Southern Cross is sometimes visible and sometimes not, at different times and centuries.
In Hebrew this decan is called Adom which means “The Cutting Off.”
After threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off.
[Daniel 9:26]
Here we have the connection of the Messiah with The Crux and how it is to represent “the cutting off” of the Messiah.
It is interesting that this constellation, though it is now far to the south from the latitude of Jerusalem had been seen there every night at midnight for many centuries directly above the city. It disappeared from view at almost exactly the time that Messiah, died on the cross, and amazingly was replaced by the constellation called Corona, “The Crown.”
One can only be in awe of the mathematical precision of the One who designed the constellations to have the Crown replace the Cross directly above Jerusalem at precisely that time in history.
But we see Y’shua….for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor.
[Hebrews 2:9]
VICTIMA – THE VICTIM
This second decan of Libra is found directly below the Scales. It is a picture of an animal seen in the act of falling over dead by the spear of the two-natured Centaur. In Latin, he is called Lupus, The Wolf. In Greek, he is simply referred to as Thera meaning “a beast” of some sort. The earliest Arabian figure shows the victim as Sura, The Lamb. One of the stars in Victima is called Asedah in Hebrew and Asedaton in Arabic, both meaning “To Be Slain.” Here we see a clear prophetic message that it was YHWH’s intention from the beginning that Messiah would be slain to save us. This is why Revelation 13:8 calls Him “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” It bears repeating that the two-natured Centaur who stands directly above the Cross is Messiah as well and that He is the One who is doing the slaying.
I lay down My life for the sheep…No man takes it (My life) from me…I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.
[John 10:15, 18]
We know from the Scriptures that the Messiah was to be the Great High Priest who would offer the final sacrifice, but it also tells us that the sacrifice would be none other than Himself.
He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.
[Isaiah 53:5]
Who need not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: this He did once, when He offered up Himself.
[Hebrews 7:27]
The Egyptians called Victima, Horus, “The Coming One” who was portrayed not as an animal, but a youth, the son of The Virgin. He is pictured with his finger over his mouth signaling silence. The Greeks and Romans called him Harpocrates meaning “Victim of Justice.” Among the Romans, Harpocrates was known as the god of silence or quiet submission.
…as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth.
[Isaiah 53:7b]
The message of Victima is that Messiah will be the silent submissive sufferer, The Lamb who gives Himself up for the sins of the world.
CORONA, THE CROWN
This decan is also known as Corona Borealis, The Northern Crown. Y’shua has risen from the depths of the Southern Cross, all the way up to the heights of the Northern Crown. He has suffered, but now He is exalted forevermore.
…And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore Elohim also has highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name..
[Philippians 2:6-9]
If you’ll notice, each house (sign, chapter) of the zodiac ends its final decan in one of glory; one of victory; of triumph either for Messiah or for His followers.
In Arabic, this constellation is known as Al Iclil which means “An Ornament” or “Jewel.” Have you ever heard it said that we, His followers are the jewels in His crown? What He did, He did for us and those who are truly hidden in Him, share in His death and His glorious victory. The brightest star in Corona is called Al Phecca which means “The Shining.” We will shine with Him “as the sun,” as the song “Amazing Grace” goes.
The Crown also reminds us that there is a crown awaiting us who are willing to take up the cross and follow Him.
Be faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of life.
[Revelation 2:10]
The Southern Cross is no longer in the midnight sky over Jerusalem. For the past 2,000 years, The Northern Crown has taken its place. What an awesome message we have in this house called Libra!
References: "The Gospel in the Stars" by Joseph Seiss & "The Real Meaning of the Zodiac" by Dr. James Kennedy,Ph.D.

The sign of Libra covers 180° to 210° of celestial longitude. It is represented by the symbol of The Scales, which is based on the Scales of Justice held by Themis, the Greek personification of divine law and custom and the inspiration for modern depictions of Lady Justice. Libra is part of the Seventh House – Uxor (Spouse) or House of Partnership, are associated with the element of Air, and the ruling celestial body is Venus.
Two notable stars in the Libra constellation are Alpha and Beta Librae – also known as Zubenelgenubi and Zubeneschamali, which translates to “The Southern Claw” and “The Northern Claw”. Alpha Libae is a double star consisting of an A3 primary star with a slight blue tinge and a fainter type F4 companion, both of which are located approximately 77 light years from our Sun.
Beta Librae is the brighter of the two, and the brightest star in the Virgo constellation. This is a blue star of spectral type B8 (but which appears somewhat greenish) which is located roughly 160 light years from Earth. Then there’s Gamma Librae (also called Zubenelakrab, which means “the Scorpion’s Claw”) which completes the Scorpion sign. It is an orange giant of magnitude 3.9, and is located 152 light-years from Earth.
Libra is home to the star Gliese 581, which has a planetary system consisting of at least 6 planets. Both Gliese 581 d and Gliese 581 g are considered to be some of the most promising candidates for life. Gliese 581 c is considered to be the first Earth-like exoplanet to be found within its parent star’s habitable zone. All of these exoplanets are of significance for establishing the likelihood of life outside of the Solar System.
Libra is also home to one bright globular cluster, NGC 5897. It is a fairly large and loose cluster, has an integrated magnitude of 9, and is located 40,000 light-years from Earth.

In mythology, the Alpha and Beta stars of Libra once represented Chelae Scorpionis, the northern and southern claws of the Scorpion. Who knows exactly where and when it became depicted as a set of scales, but the Romans identified it with the scales held by Astraea, the goddess of justice. They believed the Moon was in Libra when Rome was founded and the astrological sign represented balance because this is where the Sun was housed during autumnal equinox. Oddly enough, Libra is the only astrological symbol that doesn’t depict some type of living creature.

10:00 Scorpio the Eagle / Scorpion
The Eagle / Raven which never returned
Revelations 4:7, "and the first living creature like a lion, and the second living creature like a calf, and the third living creature having the face as of a man, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle."
Celestial vision for him who remembers the four works of Em. Signol around the Meridian line, to the choir itself from the sanctuary from which beams this source of love from one to another, I turn around passing the site of the rose of the P to that of the S, then from the S to the P . . . and the spiral in my mind becoming like a monstrous Octopus expelling its ink, the shadows obscure the light, I am dizzy and I hold my hand to my mouth biting instinctively my palm, perhaps like OLIER in his coffin. Curses, I understand the truth, HE IS GONE, but to him too in doing THE GOOD, like HIM of the flowery tomb. But how many have sacked the HOUSE, leaving only the embalmed corpses and numerous metal objects which they could not carry? What strange mystery conceals the new temple of SOLOMON built by the Children of Saint Vincent?
The sanctuary being the Great Pyramid, Rose referring to Rostau, P Ptah (the mound) and S Sokar (the second mound). He is gone – stolen or taken away. The sacking of the house being the robbing of the secrets, only corpses and metal objects… corpses as in a burial site, and metal objects the items attributed to Seker.
SCORPIO – The Conflict and the Victory
This third chapter of the Gospel gallery in the heavens expresses the very heart of the Gospel and reiterates the first prophecy of the coming Saviour given in Genesis – what is known as the protevangelium the battle to be fought between Messiah and Satan.
… (the Seed of the woman) shall bruise your head and you shall bruise His heel. 
 [Genesis 3:15b]
 The major constellation is a giant scorpion called Al Akrab in Arabic, which means “Scorpion,” but also “The Conflict” or “War.” In the Coptic language it is called Isidis, meaning “Attack of the Enemy.” 
The brightest and most well known star located at the heart of this constellation is called Antares – an ancient Arabic name thought to mean “The Wounding” (cutting or tearing). Another bright star in the tail of the scorpion is known as Lesath – a Hebrew name meaning, “The Perverse.” 
Satan is the perverse one who seeks to kill the Seed of the Woman. Knowing the line from which Messiah would come, his futile attempts have been numerous throughout history; 
 * Pharoah tried to kill all the sons of the Hebrews
 * Althaliah tried to destroy all the royal seed of Israel
 * Haman tried to have all the Jews killed
 * King Herod had all the boys two years and under killed in Bethlehem
 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto Elohim, and to His throne….And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of Elohim and have the testimony of Y’shua the Messiah. 
 [Revelation 12:5 & 17]
 OPHIUCHUS, THE SERPENT HOLDER 
 The first decan of Scorpio is Ophiuchus which in Greek simply means “The Serpent Holder.” It portrays a great man struggling with a giant serpent and he is trying to keep the serpent from accomplishing what the serpent wants to do. The serpent is in the act of reaching out to grasp The Crown. We learned from studying the house of Libra that this Crown in the heavens has replaced the Cross in the night sky over Jerusalem for the past 2,000 years. The Crown is the reward that Messiah won after His suffering and we who suffer for Messiah’s sake are promised a crown as well. Ophiuchus is a reminder that there is One mightier than our enemy and that Satan will never achieve his age old ambition to grasp the Crown.
 Ophiuchus is postioned directly above The Scorpion. One foot of the man is poised to deliver a fatal wound to the Scorpion’s head while the other foot is being struck by the stinger on the Scorpion’s tail. Here is the protevangelium displayed;
 (He) shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel. 
 [Genesis 3:15b]    
 Coming out of the Arabic into Greek, the name of Ophiuchus.is “Aesculapius.” In Greek mythology, Aesculapius was a son of Apollo. Homer describes Aesculapius with all the attributes of a man. He was a god-man. According to the mythology, he was a healer and was also reported to have brought the dead back to life by means of blood taken from the side of the goddess of justice. He was called “The Physician,” “The Desired One,” “The Health-Giver,” “The Universal Remedy.” Finally, he suffered death by the lightnings of Heaven but was raised from death to glory by the influence of his father, Apollo. 
 It does not take a great deal of wisdom or insight to see the light of the original glory hidden in this mythological story. Y’shua the Messiah is the “God-man.” He is the Healer who brings us life out of death by the blood taken from His side. He is the Great Physician, the Desired One and the Universal Remedy. He suffered death by the very lightning bolts of Heaven (the wrath of Elohim) which came upon Him that we might receive eternal life. After His suffering, He was raised back to life by the influence of His Father (the authority given to Him from His Father). 
 SERPENS, THE SERPENT 
 The Serpent is one of many constellations where Satan is illustrated. Throughout the zodiac, we see him as Scorpio, the Scorpion, Serpens, the Serpent, Draco, the Dragon, Cetus, the water snake, Hydra, the Many-Headed Monstrous Snake and Cerberus-the Three-Headed Monster that guarded the gates of Hell. Here, in Serpens, we see Satan attempting to gain The Crown but overpowered and restrained by Messiah.
 A great promise is given to all those who would be Messiah’s followers. The victory won at the Cross is given to be shared with all His disciples; 
 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 
 [Luke 10:19]
 HERCULES, THE MIGHTY ONE 
 This third and last decan more fully expresses the working out of the Gospel. As the pagan nations began to lose sight of the original revelation of the coming Messiah, mythological men were assigned to express the attributes contained in each of the constellations and the stories they represented.
 Hercules is seen upside down, immediately over Ophiuchus, on a planisphere. In Hebrew, Hercules is called Gibbor which means “Mighty.”
For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given…and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God… 
[Isaiah 9:6]
 In Hebrew, “the Mighty God” is “El Gibbor.” Hercules is a picture of the Hero-God – El Gibbor, who destroys the power of the enemy. 
 Hercules is shown down on one knee with a mighty club raised over his head. One of his feet is on top of the head of Draco, The Dragon. just as Ophiuchus is shown with one of his feet on top of the Scorpion. The brightest star located in the forehead of Hercules is called Ras-Al-Gethi, meaning “The Head of Him Who Bruises.”Hercules has in his hand Cerberus, The Three-Headed Monster that guarded the gates into Hell. 
 Like Samson, who ripped off the gates of the city and carried them away, our Messiah descended into Hell, destroyed the power of Satan, has led captivity captive, has taken the faithful of old out of Sheol and led them up into the very presence of Elohim. 
 I Am He that Lives, and was dead; and behold, I Am alive forevermore, Amein; and have the keys of hell and of death. 
 [Revelation 1:18]
…when He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men. [Ephesians 4:8 & Psalm 68:18] 
 The second brightest star in Hercules means “The Branch Kneeling.” This takes us back to Virgo who had a branch in one hand. This reminds us that the One who comes to redeem the world is the Branch- the One who springs forth. 
 The Phoenicians worshipped Hercules as a saviour who would come to deliver them. The greeks called him Herakles and they worshipped him as one of the greatest of their hero-gods. To them, Hercules was not simply a man. He was not simply a god. He was a “god-begotten” man. 
 This mythological figure was engaged in the most difficult and wonderful feats known as “The Twelve Labors of Hercules.” One of these was the cleansing of the Augean Stables where thousands and thousands of animals were kept, but none of the stables had ever been cleaned. Scripture tells us that we are a “stench in the nostrils of Elohim” because of our sin. Only Messiah can cleanse the stench of our Augean Stable. Interestingly, Messiah was born in a stable and came for the purpose of cleansing our stables. As He was willing to be born in a stable in Bethlehem, so is He willing to be born in the stables of our hearts. Hercules diverted a river to cleanse the Augean Stables. Our “Greater-Than Hercules” did not use water, but rather with His own precious blood He has cleansed the stables in innumerable millions of hearts of those who have trusted in Him!
 Hercules also slew the three-headed snakelike monster, which is seen in his hands, and the dragon which guarded the golden apples of Hesperides. Y’shua, by destroying Satan, allows us not the golden apples of Hesperides; rather, He allows us access to the very tree of Life itself.
 SUMMARY 
 This third house/chapter in the zodiac is about the greatest conflict and the greatest victory. Four times we see Satan illustrated and four times defeated; The Scorpion is crushed, the Serpent is kept from the Crown, the Three-Headed Monster is removed from the gates of Hell and the Dragon is underfoot. This chapter explicitly illustrates how mighty our “Greater-Than - Hercules.” Messiah is to be. As you will see in the chapters to come, the same power and authority is shared with all who are truly His.
 References: "The Gospel in the Stars" by Joseph Seiss & “The Real Meaning of the Zodiac” by Dr. James Kennedy, Ph.D.

The sign of Scorpio covers 210° to 240° of celestial longitude. Scorpio is represented by The Scorpion, which is based on Scorpius – a giant scorpion in Greek mythology sent by Gaia to kill Orion. Scorpio is part of the Eighth House – Mors (Death), known today as the House of Reincarnation – and is associated with the element of Water. Traditionally, the ruling celestial body of Scorpio was Mars, but has since become Pluto.
The Scorpius constellations includes many bright stars, the brightest being Alpha Scorpii (aka. Antares). The name literally means “rival of Mars” because of its distinct reddish hue. Other stars of note include Beta Scorpii (Acrab, or “the scorpion”), Delta Scorpii (Dschubba, or “the forehead”), Xi Scorpii (Girtab, also “the scorpion”), and Sigma and Tau Scorpii (Alniyat, “the arteries”).
Lambda Scorpii (Shaula) and Upsilon Scorpii (Lesath) – whose names both mean “sting”- mark the tip of the scorpion’s curved tail. Given their proximity to one another, Lambda Scorpii and Upsilon Scorpii are sometimes referred to as “the Cat’s Eyes”.
The Scorpius constellation, due to its position within the Milky Way, contains many deep-sky objects. These include the open clusters Messier 6 (the Butterfly Cluster) and Messier 7 (the Ptolemy Cluster), the open star cluster NGC 6231 (aka. Northern Jewel Box), and the globular clusters Messier 4 and Messier 80 (NGC 6093).
The constellation is also where the Alpha Scorpiids and Omega Scorpiids meteor showers take place. The Alphas begin on or about April 16th and end around May 9th, with a peak date of most activity on or about May 3rd. The second meteor shower, the Omega (or June) Scorpiids peaks on or about June 5th of each year. The radiant for this particular shower is closer to the Ophiuchus border and the activity rate on the peak date is high – with an average of about 20 meteors per hour and many reported fireballs.

Because Scorpius was easy visible to ancient civilizations and its patterns do resemble the Scorpion which it represents, there is a great deal of mythology associated with this constellation. To the Greeks it represented the creature sent by Hera to eliminate Orion the Hunter – forever kept apart in the sky to continue their heavenly feud. Perhaps it was Apollo who sent the Scorpion and Orion flees it? Scorpius was also said to appear to Phaethon, who wrecked the sun-chariot when the horses balked at the mighty monster’s appearance. The Oriental culture recognized this pattern of stars as part of the Dragon, while the Polynesians saw it as a fishhook. No matter what legend you choose to place on this pattern of stars, its curving asterism is very distinctive and easy to recognize!

Ophicious the Snake Bearer
Cursing the profaners in their ashes and those who live in their tracks, leaving the abyss where I was plunged in finishing the gesture of horror: "Here is the proof that I knew the secret of the Seal of SOLOMON, that of this QUEEN I have visited the hidden residences." To this, Dear Reader, be careful not to add or remove an iota . . . meditate, meditate again, the vile lead of my writing contains perhaps the purest gold.
there is the issue of the missing 13th sign, which corresponds to the constellation Ophiuchus. Over 2000 years ago, this constellation was deliberately left out, though the Sun clearly passes in front of it after passing in front of Scorpius (aka. Scorpio) and before reaching Sagittarius.
It is unclear why ancient astrologers would do this, but it is a safe bet that they wanted to divide the 360° path of the Sun into 12 equal parts. But the true boundaries that divide the constellations, as defined by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), are not exact. And Ophiuchus actually spends more time behind the Sun than its immediate neighbor (19 days compared to Scorpius’ 12).

OPHIUCHUS, THE SERPENT HOLDER 
 The first decan of Scorpio is Ophiuchus which in Greek simply means “The Serpent Holder.” It portrays a great man struggling with a giant serpent and he is trying to keep the serpent from accomplishing what the serpent wants to do. The serpent is in the act of reaching out to grasp The Crown. We learned from studying the house of Libra that this Crown in the heavens has replaced the Cross in the night sky over Jerusalem for the past 2,000 years. The Crown is the reward that Messiah won after His suffering and we who suffer for Messiah’s sake are promised a crown as well. Ophiuchus is a reminder that there is One mightier than our enemy and that Satan will never achieve his age old ambition to grasp the Crown.
 Ophiuchus is postioned directly above The Scorpion. One foot of the man is poised to deliver a fatal wound to the Scorpion’s head while the other foot is being struck by the stinger on the Scorpion’s tail. Here is the protevangelium displayed;
 (He) shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel. 
 [Genesis 3:15b]    
 Coming out of the Arabic into Greek, the name of Ophiuchus.is “Aesculapius.” In Greek mythology, Aesculapius was a son of Apollo. Homer describes Aesculapius with all the attributes of a man. He was a god-man. According to the mythology, he was a healer and was also reported to have brought the dead back to life by means of blood taken from the side of the goddess of justice. He was called “The Physician,” “The Desired One,” “The Health-Giver,” “The Universal Remedy.” Finally, he suffered death by the lightnings of Heaven but was raised from death to glory by the influence of his father, Apollo. 
 It does not take a great deal of wisdom or insight to see the light of the original glory hidden in this mythological story. Y’shua the Messiah is the “God-man.” He is the Healer who brings us life out of death by the blood taken from His side. He is the Great Physician, the Desired One and the Universal Remedy. He suffered death by the very lightning bolts of Heaven (the wrath of Elohim) which came upon Him that we might receive eternal life. After His suffering, He was raised back to life by the influence of His Father (the authority given to Him from His Father). 

At one time, the constellation of Ophiuchus was referred to as “Serpentarius”, whose name literally meant the “serpent bearer”. In most mythology representations, you’ll see Ophiuchus represented as a man grappling with a large snake; his body representing the division of the snake “Serpens” into two parts – Serpens Caput and Serpens Cauda. Even though divided by Ophiuchus, they still are only one constellation. It is possible the mythological figure could represent the healer Asclepius, placed close to Chirion (Sagittarius), his mentor. The man could also be the Trojan priest Laocoön, who was killed by a pair of sea serpents after warning about the Trojan Horse. It could even be Apollo wrestling with the Python to take control of the oracle at Delphi…. But no matter which figure you choose, this huge constellation holds a vast number of deep sky riches just waiting to be explored!

11:00 Sagittarius the Centaur
Returning then to the white hill, the sky having opened its gates, it seems there is a presence near me, the feet in the water like him who has just been baptised, turning myself again towards the east facing me I saw unrolling without end, his coils, the enormous SERPENT ROUGE cited in the parchments, salty and bitter, the enormous beast unleashed became at the foot of this white hill, red with anger.
The White Hill being the Great Pyramid, 
at summer solstice, 
a presence nearby,
 feet in water, 
baptism, 
turning AGAIN towards the east. 
The beast became red with anger at the base of the pyramid. 
The rains indicate the solstice, 
the lands flooded, 
salt = Sal, bitter = Mari, 
the beast was unleashed by who/what?
 This indicates the rosy cross: the white hill and the red serpent. 
The serpent was to the east of the white hill
Sagittarius must deal with the serpent, as the serpent presents itself under Sagittarius
Sage Taurus? The Wise Rosy Cross? Rosy Crossing? 

SAGITTARIUS – THE ARCHER
The Double Natured One Triumphing as a Warrior
The final chapter of Book One of this Gospel in the Stars ends with Sagittarius, which means “The Archer.” In Akkadian, he is called Nun-ki which means “The Prince of the Earth.” This is the second time we see a dual-natured Centaur in the heavens, but unlike the first who was a picture of the despised One willingly offering Himself up as a sacrifice, this Centaur comes as the risen and conquering king to vanquish the enemy who made that sacrifice necessary. Sagittarius is seen with a drawn bow aiming an arrow at the very heart of the Scorpion. The brightest star in Sagittarius is Naim, a Hebrew name meaning “The Gracious One.”
Many wonder what kind of universe we live in and what will be the outcome of this struggle between good and evil. The message to us all was painted in the stars long ago. Our universe is governed by a gracious Creator and the outcome of all things is that He wins!
And I saw, and behold a white horse: and He that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given Him: and He went forth conquering, and to conquer.
[Revelation 6:2]
Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies.
[Psalm 45:5]
LYRA, THE HARP
He Gladdens the Heavens
The first decan of this chapter is Lyra, The Harp. Lyra literally means “Praise for the Conqueror. It is shown as a harp combined with an eagle in the act of ascending. There’s a very bright star in Lyra called Vega which means “He Shall Be Exalted.” The purpose of this decan is to remind us that we have something to sing about. The divine One (depicted by the eagle) has ascended. He has triumphed over our enemy. By His great power and might, He has conquered; He is worthy and we are now to sing His praises..
ARA, THE ALTAR
He Builds the Fires of Punishment
The second decan is Ara – a short name that has come down to us through antiquity to mean “Consuming Fire Prepared for His Enemies.” It is depicted as an altar turned upside down and pouring fire into the southern most parts of the southern hemisphere; a picture of eternal fires in the regions called Tartarus, or “outer darkness.”
In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not Elohim, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Y’shua the Messiah
[2 Thessalonians 1:8]
This decan tells us that we either take up the harp and rejoice for what He has done for us, or we will partake of the fate of the unbelieving and unrepentant and share in what has been prepared for the devil and his angels; the outer darkness and everlasting fire.
Skeptics like to pretend somehow that they have evaporated Hell. They mock it; they laugh at it; but it still awaits them. Think of what it would mean to wake up in outer darkness and know that you would be there forever! There is no worse thought to the human mind than that.
Now, think of how your Creator came to suffer your penalty and pay your redemption price. He came that we might never know what lies beyond the horizon in the lower depths, in the outer darkness, the Tartarus of Elohim; the burning altar of His consuming wrath. As horrible as it was, He took all our sins, enduring the full penalty, descending into the lowest depths of outer darkness for us.
DRACO, THE DRAGON
He Casts Down the Dragon
The final decan is Draco, The Dragon; another depiction of Satan being overwhelmed.
The fact that evil abounds, confusion is rampant, false belief systems are accepted as truth and others don’t even believe in Satan’s existence at all, merely shows that Satan is doing his job and doing it well.
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world…
[Revelation 12:9a]
The brightest star in this figure is Thuban and is located in the second coil from the tip of the serpent’s tail. Thuban is a Hebrew name meaning “The Subtle.”
Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast ….
[Genesis 3:1a]
In the serpent’s head can be seen the bright star Rastaban, another Hebrew name meaning “The Head of the Subtle.” The third brightest bears the Hebrew name Ethanim, “The Long Serpent” or “Dragon.”
The existence of Messiah and Satan are equally evident in the struggle portrayed in the zodiac, and in this struggle, we always see a shift of power; an ending to the tyranny. It is interesting to note that more than 4,700 years ago, shortly after the fall of man, Thuban was the pole star. But, due to the precession of the equinoxes, that pole of the planet earth now points to Polaris. Similarly, as you recall from the house of Libra, we learned that The Crown has replaced the place in the night sky over Jerusalem that The Cross held for centuries until the time of Y’shua.
The Scorpion was crushed and shot through by an arrow, the serpent was restrained from the Crown, the three-headed monster was subdued and in the same way here, the head of Draco is under the foot of Hercules.
You will notice in this study of the zodiac that all three books end with victory. The first book ends with The Dragon being cast down. The second book ends with Cetus, The Sea Monster being bound. And the third book ends with Hydra, another serpent being ultimately and finally destroyed.
References: “The Gospel in the Stars” by Joseph Seiss & “The Real Meaning of the Zodiac” by Dr. James Kennedy, Ph.D.

The sign of Sagittarius covers 240° to 270° of celestial longitude and is represented by The Archer. This symbol is based on the centaur Chiron, who according to Greek mythology mentored Achilles in the art of archery. Sagittarius is part of the Ninth House – known as Iter (Journeys) or the House of Philosophy. Sagittarius’ associated element is Fire (positive polarity), and the ruling celestial body is Jupiter.
Stars of note in the Sagittarius constellation include Alpha Sagittarii, which is also known as Alrami or Rukbat (literally “the archer’s knee”). Then there is Epsilon Sagittarii (“Kaus Australis” or “southern part of the bow”), the brightest star in the constellation – at magnitude 1.85. Beta Sagittarii, located at a position associated with the forelegs of the centaur, has the traditional name Arkab, which is Arabic for “achilles tendon.”
The second-brightest star is Sigma Sagittarii (“Nunki”), which is a B2V star at magnitude 2.08, approximately 260 light years from our Sun. Nunki is the oldest star name currently in use, having been assigned by the ancient Babylonians, and thought to represent the sacred Babylonian city of Eridu. Then there’s Gamma Sagittarii, otherwise known as Alnasl (the “arrowhead”). This is actually two star systems that share the same name, and both stars are actually discernible to the naked eye.
The Milky Way is at its densest near Sagittarius, since this is the direction in which the galactic center lies. Consequently, Sagittarius contains many star clusters and nebulae. This includes Messier 8 (the Lagoon Nebula), an emission (red) nebula located 5,000 light years from Earth which measures 140 by 60 light years.
Though it appears grey to the unaided eye, it is fairly pink when viewed through a telescope and quite bright (magnitude 3.0). The central area of the Lagoon Nebula is also known as the Hourglass Nebula, so named for its distinctive shape. Sagittarius is also home to the M17 Omega Nebula (also known as the Horseshoe or Swan Nebula).
This nebula is fairly bright (magnitude 6.0) and is located about 4890 light-years from Earth. Then there’s the Trifid Nebula (M20 or NGC 6514), an emission nebula that has reflection regions around the outside, making its exterior bluish and its interior pink. NGC 6559, a star forming region, is also associated with Sagittarius, located about 5000 light-years from Earth and showing both emission and reflection regions (blue and red).

The easily recogniged “tea pot” shape of Sagittarius was well known in mythology as being represented by the half-man, half-horse – the Centaur. According to some legends, he was the offspring of of Philyra and Saturn. Named Chiron, he turned himself into a horse to hide from his jealous wife and was eventually immortalized in the stars. He is often depicted as an archer as well, with his arrow pointed directly at the red heart of the Scorpion – Antares. Sagittarius may represent the son of Pan, who invented archery and was sent to entertain the Muses who threw a laurel wreath at his feet. No matter what identity you choose, one thing is for certain – there’s no mistaking the presence of the nearby Sagittarius arm of the Milky Way!

12:00 Capricorn the Sea Goat 
Three days in a manger. The Mid-winter solstice is called the Halcyon Days (Hal Cyon: Horus as the Dog Star), when the weather calms (Silent Night/ Hark the Herald Angels Sing), marking the rebirth of the sun/son of god in the Tropic of Capricorn (Peace on Earth, good will to man). Dogs protecting the gates of heaven and hell (Cancer and Capricorn). The star of Bethlehem (House of Bread) Sirius. The “Lamb of God” (the sea-goat Capricorn) spends three days in hell in the Augean Stables (one of the 12 Labors of Hercules). Father time and the Newborn King (one decreases, in order that the other increases). The Bible says Joseph took Jesus as a baby and fled to Egypt where they stayed until the death of Herod (Mat. 2:13-15). However, here we have king Herod apparently still alive and ruling 30 years later during Jesus' mission. The flight DOWN SOUTH into Egypt would have begun while the Sun was in Capricorn, in reference to the Sun being in the southern hemisphere.
Halcyon: of or relating to the halcyon or kingfisher, a mythical bird, usually identified with the kingfisher, said to breed about the time of the winter solstice in a nest floating on the sea, and to have the power of charming winds and waves into calmness. There were fourteen "halcyon days" in every year, seven of which fell before the winter solstice, and seven after.
The Halcyon Days of Dead Winter and the Immaculate Conception and (re)Birth of the Sun/Son.
Horus as the Dog Star. The etymology of Cyon. Procyon.
On false stars. Planets (matter) pretending to be stars (fire/spirit).
My emotion was great "DELIVER ME FROM THE MIRE" I said, and I awoke immediately. I haven’t told you in fact that this was a dream that I’d had this 17th JANUARY, feast day of Saint SULPICE. Afterwards my trouble persisting, I wanted after reflection to tell you a story by PERRAULT. Here then, Dear Reader, in the pages which follow the result of a dream having soothed me into the world of the strange and unknown. GOOD comes to him THAT DOES GOOD.
CAPRICORNUS – Life out of Death
Capricorn is a strange animal; half goat and half fish. The goat part is in a fallen position with one leg doubled under his body; the head is bent forward and he is in a dying situation. But, the back half is a vigorous tail of a fish and it is very much alive. This gives us a beautiful picture of what the Messiah would accomplish through His sacrificial death and that through it, He would bring forth the living Body of His people – referred to in Scripture as “Fishes.” In Hebrew, the name of this constellation is Gedi which means “A Kid; A Goat”; it also means “The Cut-Off” – the picture and meaning of atonement. 
 Some of the brightest stars are Al Gedi, “The Kid”; Deneb Al Gedi, “The Coming Sacrifice”; and Ma’Asad, “The Slaying.” 
And Mosheh diligently sought the goat of the sin offering…seeing it is Most Set-apart…..and Elohim has given it to you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before YHWH. 
 [Wayyiqrah/Levitcus 10:16-17]
 There is a time when a lamb is used to portray Messiah’s sacrifice. Everyone loves a little lamb. They are a picture of innocence and purity which shows us the inner nature of our Saviour, but, what about a goat? Goats have a very different nature from lambs. They eat tin cans! They butt children at the petting zoo. In the parables, goats don’t fair as well as the sheep! If a little lamb is a picture of innocence and purity, then a goat is a picture of guilt and sin. What does it mean when a goat is used to portray Messiah’s sacrifice? 
YHWH has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 
 [Yeshayahu/Isaiah 53:6b]
For He has made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of Elohim in Him. 
 [2 Corinthians 5:21]
 Because the Second Book is about the Redeemer’s people, a goat is used to show how He becomes what we are. All our guilt is laid upon Him. We were dead in our sins, but now through His death and resurrection, we are made to be alive! 
 Like the mythological Phoenix who rises out of the ashes of its own death, so also the congregation of called-out ones, the fishes of Elohim rise out of the death of the atoning sacrifice provided through the Goat of YHWH.
I was crucified with Messiah: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Messiah lives in me. 
 [Galatians 2:20]
 If we are in Messiah, we take part in His death, and out of that death we rise in newness of life with Him. This is the picture of the fifth chapter of the zodiac; the goat-fish, Capricornus. 
SAGITTA- THE ARROW 
 The first decan is Sagitta, which simply means “The Arrow.” It is the killing arrow which has been shot. It stands alone without an archer visible. Unlike the arrow of Sagittarius which was aimed at the heart of the Scorpion, this arrow comes down from heaven itself like the lightning bolts of heaven that are said to have taken the life of Aesculapius/Ophiuchus, the Serpent Holder in Scorpio. It is the arrow of YHWH’s wrath against all wickedness, but His plan is made clear. The arrow of His wrath will strike the perfect and sinless Messiah.
 How can we understand atonement? By understanding the following: 
 1. YHWH is Echad (a united plurality) - Father, Son and Spirit. (Miss this point and you miss everything!) [Deut. 6:4]
 2. YHWH has a standard of righteousness and He will never “lower the bar” for anyone. [Tehellim/Psalms 89:14, 119:89 & Malachi 3:6]
 3. The price of sin is death, (and that means complete and permanent separation from YHWH). [Romans 6:23]
 4. A perfect Sacrifice (ONE WITHOUT SIN) is required, but ALL mankind has inherited the blood disease of sin, therefore no mere man qualifies to pay our price. [Psalm 49:7-9, Romans 3:23]
5. ONLY YHWH HIMSELF (WHO IS WITHOUT SIN) QUALIFIES TO BE THE PERFECT SACRIFICE. [Acts 20:28, 1 Kepha/Peter 2:22, 1 Yochanan/John 3:5] 
 If the Messiah you believe in is not YHWH in the flesh (see Yochanan 1:1 &14) shedding His unique untainted, sinless blood to wash away your sins, you have a false messiah and therefore remain damned! 
AQUILA – THE EAGLE 
 The second decan is Aquila, The Eagle (the pierced, wounded and falling eagle).
 In Biblical symbolism, it has long and widely been understood that an eagle depicts divinity. Once again, a sign in the zodiac is here to remind us of the divine nature of the sacrifice required. A very bright star in this constellation – one of the first magnitude in glory, is called Al Tair, “The Wounding.” The other stars point out the same story. Tarared is “The Wounded” or “Torn,” and Al Cair is “The Piercing.” In the tail of the eagle is Al Okab, which means “Wounded in the Heel” – another reminiscence of the protevangelium – the prophecy about the bruising of Messiah’s heel given in Genesis 3:15 and in the house of Scorpio.
 The eagle is a royal bird and the natural enemy of the serpent. There is an interesting phenomenon about the eagle in that it takes greater care of its young than do most other birds. In fact, it will even go to such an extent that if there is no food to be found to feed its young, the eagle has been known to tear itself with its beak in order to feed its young with its own blood – a beautiful story and picture of Messiah. 
How I bear you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto Myself. 
 [Shemoth/Exodus 19:4]
As an eagle stirs up her nest, flutters over her young, spreads abroad her wings, takes them, bears them on her wings: So YHWH alone did lead him.. 
[Debarim/Deuteronomy 32:11-12]
 Messiah is that royal eagle, flying high – the one who is at the right hand of the Father; who thought it not robbery to be equal with Elohim (see Philippians 2:6) ; that glorious One, the Son of Elohim from on High. Yet, that One who humbled Himself and was pierced by the arrow of Elohim’s wrath for our sins, is seen here plummeting to the ground, the One wounded with the arrow of Elohim’s wrath. 
DELPHINUS, THE DOLPHIN 
 The final decan of this sign is Delphinus, The Dolphin. It is a beautiful picture of a dolphin vigorously leaping upward out of the water. Messiah plunged into the waves of death. He says in Psalms;
All Your waves and Your billows are gone over Me. 
 [Tehillim/Psalms 42:7]
 And so, He went down into the waves of the deep and descended into Hell. But, just when His enemies would like to think the story was over, like a dolphin, He breaks forth from the waves of death, the great Conqueror of death and the grave! 
 In ancient mythology, the dolphin was the most sacred and honored of fishes. It was also known from ancient times that the sign of Pisces, The Fish represented Israel, the people of YHWH. Messiah portrayed as a dolphin therefore identifies Him with His people.
 His death is our death (see Galatians 2:20). His resurrection is our resurrection (see Colossians 3:1). Not only has He died and brought forth a living Body of believers; not only has He fallen from the skies of Heaven as the great Victim for our sins, enduring the arrow of Elohim’s wrath, but also He has risen again from the waves and billows of death to bring hope to a needy world. He is our glorious conquering Saviour who fulfills all of those things which were prophecied of Him.
 Then He said to them, “O fools and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Messiah to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Mosheh and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. 
 [Luke 24:26-27]
 References: “The Gospel in the Stars” by Joseph A. Seiss and “The Real Meaning of the Zodiac” by Dr. James Kennedy, Ph.D.

The sign of Capricorn spans 270° to 300° of celestial longitude and is represented by the Mountain Sea-Goat. This sign is based on Enki, the Sumerian primordial god of wisdom and waters who has the head and upper body of a mountain goat, and the lower body and tail of a fish. The sign is part of the Tenth House – Regnum (Kingdom), or The House of Social Status. Capricorns are associated with the element Earth, and the ruling body body is Saturn.
The brightest star in Capricornus is Delta Capricorni, also called Deneb Algedi. Like other stars such as Denebola and Deneb, it is named for the Arabic word for “tail”, which in this case translates to “the tail of the goat’. Deneb Algedi is a eclipsing binary star with a magnitude of 2.9, and which is located 39 light-years from Earth.
Another bright star in the Capricorni constellation is Alpha Capricorni (Algedi or Geidi, Arabic for “the kid”), which is an optical double star (two stars that appear close together) – both o which are binaries. It’s primary (Alpha² Cap) is a yellow-hued giant of magnitude 3.6, located 109 light-years from Earth, while its secondary (Alpha¹ Cap) is a yellow-hued supergiant of magnitude 4.3, located 690 light-years from Earth.
Beta Capricorni is a double star known as Dabih, which comes from the Arabic phrase “the lucky stars of the slaughter” a reference to ritual sacrifices performed by ancient Arabs. Its primary is a yellow-hued giant star of magnitude 3.1, 340 light-years from Earth, while the secondary is a blue-white hued star of magnitude 6.1. Another visible star is Gamma Capricorni (aka. Nashira, “bringing good tidings”), which is a white-hued giant star of magnitude 3.7, 139 light-years from Earth.
Several galaxies and star clusters are contained within Capricornus. This includes Messier 30 (NGC 7099) a centrally-condensed globular cluster of magnitude 7.5. Located approximately 30,000 light-years from our Sun, it cannot be seen with the naked eye, but has chains of stars extending to the north that can be seen with a telescope.
Messier 30, imaged by the Hubble Telescope. Credit: NASA/Wikisky
The globular cluster Messier 30, imaged by the Hubble Telescope. Credit: NASA/Wikisky
And then there is the galaxy group known as HCG 87, a group of at least three galaxies located 400 million light-years from Earth. It contains a large elliptical galaxy, a face-on spiral galaxy, and an edge-on spiral galaxy. These three galaxies are interacting, as evidenced by the high amount of star formation in the face-on spiral, and the connecting stream of stars and dust between edge-on spiral and elliptical galaxy.
The constellation of Capricornus has one meteor shower associated with it. The Capricornid meteor stream peaks on or about July 30th and is active for about a week before and after, with an average fall rate is about 10 to 30 per hour.

The name Capricornus is derived from Latin, which translates to “goat horn” or “horns of the goat”.  This arises from the fact that representations dating back to the Middle Bronze Age consistently depict the constellation as a hybrid of a goat and fish. This may be due to the fact that at that time, the northern hemisphere’s Winter Solstice occurred while the sun was in Capricorn.
Mesopotamian low relief depicting Sumerian sun-god Shamash rising in the center. From left to right, he is flanked by Ninurta (thunderstorms),  Ishtar (morning star), Enki (water) and Usmu (Enki’s vizier). Credit: britannica.com
The concern for the Sun’s rebirth might have rendered astronomical and astrological observation of this region of space very important. For the same reason, the Sun’s most southerly position, which is attained at the northern hemisphere’s winter solstice, is now called the Tropic of Capricorn, a term which also applies to the line on Earth where the Sun is directly overhead at noon on that solstice.
The earliest recorded evidence of this constellation is dated to the 21st century BCE, where the “Sea Goat” was depicted on a Sumerian cylinder-seal. In the Babylonian star catalogues, which are dated to ca. 1000 BCE, Capricornus was named suhurmašu (“The Goat Fish”). The constellation would later become the symbol of Ea (Enki) and was associated with the winter solstice.
In Greek mythology, the constellation was sometimes identified as Amalthea, the goat that suckled Zeus after Rhea saved him from Cronos. The goat’s broken horn was transformed into the cornucopia or horn of plenty, and ancient sources claim that this derives from the sun “taking nourishment” while in the constellation, in preparation for its climb back northward.
However, the constellation is often depicted as a sea-goat (i.e. a goat with a fish’s tail). One myth that deals with this says that when the goat-god Pan was attacked by the monster Typhon, he dived into the Nile. The parts of him that were above the water remained a goat, but those under the water transformed into a fish.
Johannes Hevelius’ depiction of Capricornus, from Uranographia (1690). Credit: chandra.harvard.edu
The Greeks regarded the constellation area with an alternative interpretation, namely the Augean Stable – a stable full uncleanliness – representing the concept of sin accumulated during the year. The Aquarius constellation, who was said to have poured out a river, then represent the yearly cleaning rains, associating to one of The Twelve Labors of Hercules.

Around roughly 4000 B.C.E. to 2000 B.C.E. the Sun was in Taurus the bull on the Vernal Equinox, and we find in ancient religions of this period that a bull was worshipped as the one who saves the world from the evils of winter. Due to the earth's precession this later became Aries the lamb who saves the world, and later when the Sun was in Pisces the symbol of the lamb was abandoned and replaced with that of a fish. 
There are no bulls in the Gospels, nor are there any crabs, lions, or scorpions. We do find a bull and lion in Revelations 4:7, "and the first living creature like a lion, and the second living creature like a calf, and the third living creature having the face as of a man, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle." This is a reference to the four seasons of the year. The lion is Leo, the calf is Taurus, the man is Aquarius, and the eagle is one of the three symbols for Scorpio (see Saint Matthew: a sermon by Robert Taylor - 1831) 
Instead we need to look at what changes happen around this time of year and compare that to what happens in the Jesus story. 
Aquarius Beheaded
Recall how Aquarius went below the horizon early on in our story. Aquarius is down there in the underworld, where the dead are, or is figuratively "put in prison". Some months later, if you wait a few hours after sunset, you'll see Aquarius poking its head up above the eastern horizon, rising from the underworld, and it appears as if Aquarius is being beheaded by the horizon. Aquarius figuratively "rises from the dead" and is beheaded by the night eastern horizon. 
By mid-May you only need wait until 11:00 PM to see the beheading of Aquarius. By July it's too late for this story, as Aquarius is already above the eastern horizon by sunset. 
14. The head of Aquarius rises from below the eastern horizon (rises from the dead)
15. and appears beheaded by the horizon. 
Following the Jesus story we come to the beheading of John the Baptist. John the Baptist, who baptizes with water, is our personification of Aquarius the water bearer, who starts the harvest cycle by bringing on the rainy season. In Matthew 14:1-12 John rises from the dead: "This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead!" (Matthew 14:2) and then John is beheaded by Herod, a personification of night. (See The Birth of Jesus for more on how Herod is a personification of night and the evil cold and darkness that comes with it.) 
16. There is some inference that John somehow survives this beheading and "rises from the dead" intact (Mark 6:16 "When Herod heard this, he said, 'John, the man I beheaded, has been raised from the dead.'") And sure enough as the night progresses we see all of Aquarius rising intact from below the eastern horizon. 
The Bible says Joseph took Jesus as a baby and fled to Egypt where they stayed until the death of Herod (Mat. 2:13-15). However, here we have king Herod apparently still alive and ruling 30 years later during Jesus' mission. And now we have a headless John running around still alive. This Jesus story is impossible to interpret literally, but quite easy to interpret using solar mythology. (We'll talk more about Herod in a later lesson.) 
Matthew, Chapter 3
Another letter explaining the Story of Jesus as an Allegory for the Sun passing through the Zodiac each year 
Here is a brief explanation: 
•    Jesus goes on a journey during his ministry. 
•    Jesus' ministry is said to have lasted a year. 
•    It takes a year for the Sun to pass through the 12 signs of the Zodiac. 
•    Jesus starts by visiting John the Baptist. The theme is water. 
•    The Sun starts it's annual journey in January in Aquarius, the bringer of water, because it's the rainy season. This corresponds to Jesus visiting John the Baptist, who baptises with water. This happens at the beginning of the Jesus story, because rain happens at the beginning of the year, and is the first step in the harvest cycle. 

The Players
Jesus - The Sun. Comparative Religion shows that all the ancient religions were forms of sun worship. The story of Jesus is just another allegorical personification of the sun as will be shown here. 
John the Baptist - Aquarius. January. The rainy season. 
Jesus [the Sun] visits John the Baptist [Aquarius] from Jan. 20 - Feb 18, the rainy season. The "time of John the Baptist" is a time of the year. It's like saying "January." 
The "Kingdom of Heaven" is Harvest time, the time of year we all eagerly wait for. 

Matthew, Chapter 4
A fuller explanation of the Jesus Story is here:
Another letter explaining the Story of Jesus as an Allegory for the Sun passing through the Zodiac each year 
Here is a brief explanation: 
•    The Sun starts it's annual journey in January in Aquarius, the bringer of water, because it's the rainy season. Traditionally the Sun starts its annual journey in Aires (April), not Aquarius, although this may be a hold-over from the age of Aires that was never updated. If so, the sun would have started its year in Pisces during the Christian era, and would now be starting its year in the sign of Aquarius. In a birth-sense, the sun would start it’s annual journey in late December under the sign of Capricorn, under which it resurrects at Winter Solstice. Of course, it is “hidden in the Nile/Celstial Nile/Milky Way in its youth in order to save it from being killed by Herod/Pharoah/the Herut snake, just as Moses/Messeh/ the Messiah, or anointed one was hidden in the Nile and how Jesus was hidden in Egypt in his youth along with John the Baptist. So what about the Flood Myths and the basket of Moses/Solar barques and Ark of the Covenant?

The Players
Jesus - The Sun. Comparative Religion shows that all the ancient religions were forms of sun worship. The story of Jesus is just another allegorical personification of the sun as will be shown here. 
Galilee - The Ecliptic path the Sun follows. The Greek word γαλιλαιαν literally means "Circuit". 
Nazareth = "the guarded one"
Capernaum = "village of comfort"
Zebulun meaning "a habitation"
Naphtali = "wrestling"
Jordan = "the descender"
The Gentiles [ethnos {eth'-nos}] = a multitude (whether of men or of beasts) associated or living together
the kingdom of heaven = Harvest Time
The temptation of the Sun to be lazy is a common motif in ancient religions. The story of the temptation comes early in the year, when the days are still short. The sun needs to do a lot of work to rise up higher and higher, making the days longer and longer, so the harvest can grow, so we can have food to eat. 
Mat. 4:12 John the Baptist is "cast into prison."
As the days go by the Sun moves along the ecliptic on its annual journey it moves out of Aquarius [John the Baptist], leaving Aquarius below the horizon. Figuratively John the Baptist [Aquarius] has been cast into prison, that is, that constellation at sunset is now below the horizon. The constellation will reappear again six months later in the story, when it rises in the East, and gets its head cut off by the horizon. (See Mat. 14:2) 
"Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Harvest time is coming, so get to work planting and working those fields. 
  Mat. 4:18 Jesus visits two fishermen, Simon and Andrew his brother. The sun moves along the ecliptic passing out of Aquarius [John the Baptist] and into Pisces, the two fish. Hence we have the theme of the Sun visiting two fish, or fishermen. 

Actually the real shocker is when you dig into history, as I've been doing for the past two years, and discover that outside the Bible there isn't a single reference to Jesus anywhere in recorded history for that time. Many people alive at that time wrote extensively about everything that happened, and yet there is not a single reference to Jesus anywhere in all this wealth of first hand accounts. 
Then you examine when the Bible itself was written, and discover that the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John; the four books detailing the life of Jesus) are not to be referenced in any writings until the later half of the second century, a full 140 years after it allegedly happened. Even the Catholic Church admits a date of 70A.D. for the earliest Gospel, a full 40 years after the alleged event. [They have to because a certain passage in Mark could not have been written prior to an event that happened in 70AD.](The Catholic Bible, approved by the Pope himself with his signature on it, claims Mark was written in 70A.D.) Bible Scholars claim the Gospels were written in 170A.D. because there is no reference to them by anyone prior to that time, especially by certain people who definitely would have included references to them had they existed. 
The second shocker about Jesus is learning that there existed long prior to the alleged time of Jesus many other religions with identical stories of a crucified savior. Early Christian apologists admitted this and explained it away as the work of the Devil. Their general argument was, "What better way to for the Devil to combat our True Religion than for the Devil to have previously created a whole bunch of false religions identical to our True Religion." 
The third shocker, the one I am currently working on further unraveling and explaining on my web site, something which very few people have ever realized, and which you now are privy to this explanation, is the discovery that the whole story of Jesus, as well as the stories of all the other crucified saviors prior to Jesus, is an allegory for the Sun's annual journey through the Zodiac and the passage of the seasons of the year. This explains why all these stories are essentially the same. (Notice how the cross is the symbol that divides the four seasons of the year.) 
Here is a brief explanation: 
•    Jesus goes on a journey during his ministry. 
•    Jesus' ministry is said to have lasted a year. 
•    It takes a year for the Sun to pass through the 12 signs of the Zodiac. 
•    Jesus starts by visiting John the Baptist. The theme is water. 
•    The Sun starts it's annual journey in January in Aquarius, the bringer of water, because it's the rainy season. 
The Bible story then says, "After John was put in prison,..." (Mark 1:14) Suddenly John the Baptist is "put in prison." There is no further explanation in the Bible, which seems quite strange if John were a real person. We want to know why he was "put in prison." What crime was he accused of? Who threw him in prison? Was there a trial? Did Jesus attend the trial and speak on his behalf? No. Nothing more is said. Jesus just continues on his journey. 
This is all very strange and hard to understand as a story of real life events, but it all makes perfect sense when understood as an astronomical allegory. The Sun, personified as Jesus, is in Aquarius, personified as John the Baptist. As the month progresses, and the earth continues it annual revolution around the Sun, the Sun appears to move out of Aquarius and into Pisces, the two fishes, and Aquarius at sunset ends up below the horizon. John the Baptist being put in prison is merely an allegory for the constellation Aquarius at sunset moving lower and lower until it is below the horizon at the end of the month and can no longer be seen. It requires no further explanation because it is a natural phenomenon. It is simply what happens. 
•    The Sun then moves to Pisces — the two fish. (February) 
•    Jesus then visits Simon and Andrew, who are fishermen. 
•    The Sun then moves to Aries, the Ram, or lamb. (March, the time of year lambs are born.) 
•    Jesus is known as the Lamb of God. 
We celebrate Easter. East-er, when the Sun rises directly in the East. Easter is defined as the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox, when the Sun rises directly in the East. We celebrate the crossing of the Sun over the equinox, when the days and nights are of equal length. A Crossification, or crucifixion. Jews celebrate "Passover" at this time, when the Sun "passes over" the equinox. From now on the days get longer, the Sun goes higher in the sky, and the crops begin to grow. 

About half way through the story of Jesus an interesting thing happens. John the Baptist reappears and is beheaded. "he has risen from the dead!" says Matthew 14:2 Recall at the beginning of the allegory how Aquarius moved below the Western horizon at sunset as the year went from January to February and the Sun traveled from Aquarius to Pisces. Each zodiac constellation in turn goes below the horizon at sunset as each month passes. After six months the constellation of Aquarius begins to rise on the Eastern horizon at sunset. And it appears that the head of Aquarius is cut off by the horizon. This is John the Baptist rising from the dead, the dead being those who are below the earth. This is John the Baptist being beheaded. 
•    Summer passes, the story of Jesus' journeys continues. We eventually come to the end of Summer and enter the season of Autumn, when the leaves fall from the trees and the trees appear to wither. 
•    It is at this point in the story that Jesus is said to curse the fig tree and make it wither. A story which makes no sense if Jesus were a real person, but it makes perfect sense when understood as an allegory. It is simply Autumn, and Jesus, the Sun, who makes the seasons pass, causes the leaves to fall from the trees. 
•    In the story Jesus makes a triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Everyone knows him and is happy to see him. 
•    The Sun moves into Virgo, the virgin, in August. It is harvest time. The best time of year. Harvest time is "The Kingdom of Heaven" time which Jesus refers to in earnest as coming soon throughout the story up to here. Virgo is always personified as holding a sheaf of wheat or an ear of corn. Virgo represents the harvest. When the Sun is in Virgo it is harvest time. 
The Zodiac is divided into twelve "houses." Each "house" contains one of the twelve Zodiac constellations. The "house" containing Virgo is known as the house of bread, because it's the house the sun is in during harvest time. Bethlehem is a word which can be found numerous times in the Old Testament. It is a Hebrew word. Actually it is two Hebrew words. Beth-lehem. Pronounced in Hebrew, "bayth leh'-khem". "bayth" is literally "house", and "leh'-khem" is literally "bread". Thus "Bethlehem" is literally "house of bread." It is a reference to the Zodiac "house of bread", which is where you will find Virgo, the celestial virgin. At the alleged time of Jesus there was no town on earth known as Bethlehem. Bethlehem was then known not as a town on earth, but a reference to a time of year — harvest time. 
Virgo is the virgin that gives birth to the Sun each year when it passes out of her. She is the one who gives birth and yet remains always and forever a virgin. (The way Virgo is traditionally drawn on the planisphere the Sun passes out of Virgo between her legs). Farmers who till the fields are said to be wedded to this celestial virgin for which they wait for each year. Thus they are known as "husbandmen," and their tools such as tractors are know as impliments of husbandry. The DMV vehicle code book has a special section titled, "Impliments of Husbandry" which cover these vehicles. 
Continuing with our story: 
•    "Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers." (Matthew 21:12) 
•    The Sun moves from Virgo into Libra, the Scales. (September). These are the "Scales of Justice." The harvest has been gathered, it is now time to sell the harvest. Scales are used in buying and selling the harvest. At the end of harvest time, when there is nothing left to sell, the money changers pack up and leave. 
In the Jesus story we then have the Last Supper, when we eat the harvest. It is the end of harvest season -- it is the Last Supper. We eat the flesh of the fruit, figuratively the flesh of Jesus, the Sun, which make the fruit grow, and drink the blood of the grapes, figuratively the blood of Jesus, the Sun, which made the grapes grow. Without this food we would perish. 
•    Jesus is then betrayed by Judas. 
•    Judas represents Scorpio, the Scorpion of October, which figuratively stings the Sun to make it slowly die. The days begin to get shorter, as the Sun rises lower and lower each day. 
•    Judas betrays Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, representing the 30 days of the month. The month being one cycle of the phases of the moon. The moon, a piece of silver in the sky. 
Jesus is handed over to Herod — a personification of Night. (See Matthew Chapter 2—The Birth of Jesus [this site]) Herod, or the darkness of Night, is taking over Jesus, the Sun, as the days get shorter and shorter in Autumn and darkness begins to reign. 

Jesus is handed over to Pontius Pilate. "Pontius" is literally "of the sea", a reference to the sea of stars above. "Pilate" is literally "armed with a spear". Pontius Pilate is a personification of Sagittarius, the last constellation the Sun passes through during the last month of the year, Nov. 22 - Dec. 21, and the last person Jesus sees in the story. Sagittarius is a man on a horse with a bow and arrow. He is the man armed with a spear. The days get shorter and shorter as the year comes to a close. Things look dark and gloomy. What will happen to our savior, the Sun, who makes the harvest grow? Will he disappear forever? 
Jesus is crucified and placed in a cave. It is the end of the story. A sad ending. But have faith. Jesus, the Sun, will arise again — a new year will begin. Three days after Jesus is placed in the cave he will arise again. This is the prophecy. 
On Christmas day, December 25, we celebrate the birth of Jesus. December 22 was the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, when the Sun was at its lowest. Three days later, on December 25, the sun rises 1/10 of it's width farther north — just barely detectable by carefully observing the shadows cast at sunrise. Our savior, the Sun, has been reborn, to begin the cycle of the year and the cycle of life again. 
Originally Jesus was said to have been born in a cave. The Catholic Encyclopedia (1910) article on "Bethlehem" says, "The tradition of the birth in a cave was widely accepted, as we see from Origen's words about a century later: — In Bethlehem the cave is pointed out where He was born, and the manger in the cave where He was wrapped in swaddling clothes, and the rumor is in those places and among foreigners of the Faith that indeed Jesus was born in this cave —. (Contra Celsum, I, li.) It is reproduced also in the apocryphal gospels (Pseudo-Matt., xiii, ap. Bonaccorsi, op. cit., 159-163; Protevang. of James, xvii sqq., Bonaccorsi, 155-159; Gospel of the Infancy, II-IV, Bonaccorsi, 163-164)." [See Eusebius's Life of Constantine, lib. 3, chs xl, xli, and xlii.(offsite)] [Also see Matthew Chapter 2—The Birth of Jesus (this site)] 
Hence the story is circular, just as the years are circular. A new year begins after the old year ends. 
On New Years Eve we personify Father Time and Baby New Year, but we know these two figures aren't real people, they are merely personifications of the passage of time and the beginning of a new year. The current year is old and finished with. A new year is about to begin. The moment the Old Year ends a New Year begins. The cycle of life is circular and never ending. 
In the Gospel story of Jesus, after his resurrection the story ends. People have always asked what did he do after that? Why does the story end here? Why isn't the rest of his life chronicled? — The reason is, if you want to read the continuation of the story, turn back to page one. The story is circular. Three days after Jesus dies and is placed in the cave he is born again, and the story begins anew. 
In church it is customary to begin reading through one of the Gospels at the beginning of the year. Each Sunday we take the next chunk of the story and read it and the pastor makes a sermon on it, never realizing that the story is an allegory for the passage of time, the seasons of the year, which we ourselves live and experience, as we live our lives, dependent on the Sun for light and for food. 
"In a world in which any moments of rest, celebration, meditation — the festivals of any religious tradition or spiritual orientation — are often seen as "a waste of time" because they detract from productive work, it is crucial to remind ourselves that work is not the only valuable behavior. Doing, making producing, must be part of a rhythm in which being also has its place. This is the ultimate message of the seasons of our joy: that there is joy in the seasons themselves, in our very decision to join in noting them, in celebrating them, in walking the spiritual path — the spiral — that they make."     — Arthur I. Waskow, Jewish Scholar (1985) (From the book Seasons of our Joy by Arthur I. Waskow)
The whole Bible is mostly astrological allegories. The reason the book of Revelation doesn't make any sense is because it's an astrological allegory. It makes sense when you start to interpret it in that manner. The Old Testament also originated as an astrological allegory. The story of Adam and Eve is the story of Virgo and Bootes, the constellation next to Virgo. The whole story of Moses is an astrological allegory. There is no evidence that any of it actually happened, and quite a lot of evidence that it didn't. So is the story of Joseph and his coat of many colors, the youngest and most favorite of twelve brothers. The number 12 again is a tip off that this is an astrological allegory of the 12 months of the year and the 12 signs of the Zodiac. 
Not only that, solar mythology goes beyond the Bible and can be shown to be the basis of most of our oldest and most cherished folk tales and fables. Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Bean Stalk, Cinderella, Homer's Iliad and Oddysey — they all trace their roots back to solar mythology as astrological allegories. They are creative personifications of natural phenomenon. 
There's a whole lot of answers to be found in this area of research, and hardly anyone is looking in this direction. There's not even a PhD I can obtain in this field because the department doesn't yet exist at any university. I'm really on the cutting edge doing research in a field that doesn't even exist yet. 
Is there no problem which I can not solve? Someone ought to hire me and pay me lots of money to solve their difficult problems. I have the ability to dig in and find the answer. The Bible was a hard nut to crack, but I cracked it. There's a more thorough explanation of the Gospel story revealing it to be an astrological allegory at my web site, including animated pictures of the stars and constellations. 

The Book of Revelation
“The book known by the name of the Apocalypse, has seemed to be until now unintelligible, merely because people persisted to see in it a real prediction of the future, which every one has explained after his own fashion, and in which they have always found what they wanted, namely anything but that, what the book contained.”—Charles François Dupuis (1798) 
 The thing about the Book of Revelation is once you understand the key to deciphering it it's not very interesting. 
 The Book of Revelation is just astronomy. It makes numerous references to various constellations in the night sky. 
 It's all explained in Chapter XII of the rare book The Origin of All Religious Worship by Charles François Dupuis. (1798)[BL75 .D75213] The complete book is available offsite here. Chapter XII starts on page 408. 
Revelation 4:7 
And the first being was like a lion, and the second being like a calf, and the third being had the face of a man, and the fourth being was like a flying eagle. 
"It also represents the SUN going through the four cardinal constellations, which are Leo, Taurus, Aquarius and Scorpio. The cardinal constellations are also the four beasts in the Revelations of St. John the Divine. Rev 4:7 states: "The first beast was like a LION, and the second beast like a CALF, and the third beast had a face as a MAN, and the fourth beast was like a flying EAGLE." In astrology, Leo is a lion, Taurus is a bull/calf, Aquarius is a man pouring water and Scorpio has three symbols, one a scorpion, one an eagle and one a serpent." 
  — http://web.archive.org/web/20030214154545/http://www.knowledgefirst.org/freedom/jesus.htm 
 Zodiac 
 Thus the Book of Revelation is merely referring to the four seasons of the year and predicting that these four seasons will repeat themselves in the future. 
(Also note: Ezekiel 1:10 — “Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a man, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle.") 
 (See also Robert Taylor's Devil's Pulpit lecture #22 on Mat Thew) 
Revelation 4:10 
The four and twenty elders fall down before Him that sits on the throne, and worship Him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne. 
 The 24 Elders represent the 24 hours of the day. —Astral Worship pg. 57 
Revelation 12:1 
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. 
 The Gnostic adherents to the ancient solar worship, or those who were conversant with the teachings of the Esoteric philosophy, knowing that the dramatis personæ of the fable of incarnation were pictured with stars upon the azure vault, recognized the woman "clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars," referred to in Revelations xii. 1, as the Virgo of the Zodiac; they also knew that she was the true queen of heaven and mother of God; and that the infant, anciently represented in her arms, and with whom, in their day, she arose on the Eastern horizon at midnight on the 24th of December, was the same of whom the people were taught to sing at Christmas "Unto us a child is born this day." —Astral Worship pg. 41  
 The Gnostic adherents of the ancient solar worship, knowing that the drama of the incarnation was written in the stars, recognised the woman mentioned in Revelation 12:1 as Virgo of the zodiac. —Larry M. Wright Christianity, Astrology and Myth
Revelation 21:23, 22:5 
And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it; for the glory of God gave it light, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
 And there shall be no night there, and they will need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light. And they shall reign for ever and ever. 
 After the organization of a new heaven and a new earth it was taught that upon the latter would descend a beautiful city, with pearly gates and golden streets, called the City of God, the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven or New Jerusalem, in which the host of the redeemed would, with their Lord and Saviour, enjoy the Millennium, or thousand years of happiness unalloyed with evil; and such was the Kingdom for the speedy coming of which the votaries of Astral worship were taught to pray in what is known as the Lord's Prayer. According to the teachings of the Allegories, there were to be no sun, moon or stars during the Millennium, their authors having arranged it so that the light of those luminaries would not be needed, as we find recorded in Rev. xxi. 23, and xxii. 5: "The city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it; for the glory of God did lighten it," and "there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither the light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light." It must be remembered, when reading the fanciful ideas relative to the City of God, that they were composed by men who, living in a very ignorant age, gave free rein to fervid imaginations. —Astral Worship pg. 78-79  
Revelation 22:18-21 
For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book: If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book. And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life and out of the Holy City, and from the things which are written in this book. He that testifieth these things saith, "Surely I come quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. 
 "This ending was added by Erasmus, who wrote it himself in Switzerland, in the year 1516." 
— Bishop Marsh, vol. 1, page 320. [Quoted from Robert Taylor Syntagma, pg. 77] 
“There has neer been a time when the book of Revelation was not discarded by many persons competent to judge. The churches to which it was addressed, those in Asia, are the very ones who rejected it. It was not in the Bibles of the Eastern Christians for more than one thousand five hundred years, and was incorporated into those Bibles less than three centuries ago. Dionysius said that many of the early Christians denounced it as being without sense or reason, and as the forgery of Cerinthus. Dionysius himself did not believe it was written by John the Apostle; he did not know who did write it, although in another place he intimates that Cerinthus did so, and forged John's name to it.”
 —Bronson C. Keeler A Short History of the Bible (Year: 1881) (References for the quote above are: Euseb., Eccl. Hist., vii. 25, iii. 23, iii 39.)  

Harvest Time
On August 23rd the sun enters the house of Virgo the virgin. Virgo is the virgin that figuratively gives birth to the sun each year when the sun passes out of Virgo. Even though Virgo gives birth, she remains a virgin, just as Mary is the virgin who gives birth to Jesus and yet remains a virgin. 
Thus he would be conceived in November.
A star on the shoulder of the Virgin Mary was a traditional symbol in all art prior to the 1600's. The star is derived from the star 'Spica', which is the brightest star in the constellation Virgo.1 'Spica' is Latin for "ear of wheat," which Virgo holds in her hand. The sun's ecliptic path passes very close to this bright star as it moves through Virgo. Hence when the sun reaches Spica, it's time to harvest the wheat. Virgo is also sometimes depicted as holding an ear of corn. 
Virgo is the House of Bread: Bethlehem: the manna
Food and drink are literally the elements which sustain life. Mother earth brings forth food which grows up out of the ground. Because life springs forth from the earth, the earth is given the female role of mother, since it is from the female that life emerges. And if earth is the mother, then the father must be the god above who pours down rain from the sky impregnating the earth. This is why God above is a masculine "He" instead of a feminine "She" or a sexless "it." 
The star on the shoulder of the Virgin Mary was a traditional symbol in all art prior to the 1600's. It is derived from the star 'Spica' which figures in the constellational image of Virgo.1 (Duccio's 'Virgin and Child', National Gallery, London.)
The sun is born or re-born in four different ways:
1.    Christmas Day (three days after the Winter Solstice). 
2.    By passing out of Virgo the virgin. 
3.    The dawn of every new day the sun arises born again. 
4.    Solar eclipse. The following verses describe a solar eclipse:
Isaiah 13:10
The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light.
Jeremiah 15:9
"Her sun will set while it is still day;"
Joel 2:31
"The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood"
The sun is "turned to darkness" during a solar eclipse. The moon becomes as blood during a lunar eclipse, when it is "full" and the earth's shadow falls upon it; it's deep copper color, like that of dried blood, being due to the fact that the light, falling upon it, has passed through a great depth of the earth's atmosphere.2
Amos 8:9
"In that day," declares the Sovereign LORD,
"I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight.
Mark 13:24-35 (Matthew 29:29-51)
This is a description of a solar eclipse. "The sun will be darkened." is the solar eclipse. "The moon will not give it's light" because the moon is in front of the sun. "The stars will fall from the sky." During a total solar eclipse it's so dark that the stars become visible. "The day and hour unknown". Today we can predict solar eclipses years in advance down to the minute, and the newspapers always tell us when one is about to happen. Back then a solar eclipse could take a community by surprise. The text essentially says, "Don't panic. The sun will reappear and everything will be alright." The reappearance of the sun after a solar eclipse could be thought of as the sun's "second coming." 
[1] Frederick Goodman Zodiac Signs pg. 87
[2] E. Walter Maunder The Astronomy Of The Bible p.124 (1908). 

The Scales of Justice
After the harvest the sun moves from Virgo into Libra, the Scales. (September). These are the "Scales of Justice." The harvest has been gathered, it is now time to sell the harvest. Scales are used in buying and selling the harvest. At the end of harvest time, when there is nothing left to sell, the money changers pack up and leave. The Bible says, “Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers.” (Mark 11:12-19; Matthew 21:12) Jesus, the sun, representing the passage of time, moves out of Libra, the Scales of Justice, and the money changers pack up and leave, because the season has passed and they are finished selling the harvest. 
As we enter the season of Autumn the leaves fall from the trees and the trees appear to wither. It is at this point in the story that Jesus is said to curse the fig tree and make it wither, a story which makes no sense if Jesus were a real person, but it makes perfect sense when understood as an allegory. It is simply Autumn, and Jesus, the sun, who makes the seasons pass, causes the leaves to fall from the trees (Mark 11:20-25; Matthew 21:18-22) 
In the Jesus story we then have the Last Supper, where Jesus and his twelve disciples, a reference to the twelve zodiac months of the year, recline and eat the harvest. (Mark 14:12-26; Matthew 26:17-30; Luke 22:7-38) This is the natural time of year to have a huge feast. In America we celebrate Thanksgiving and have a huge feast of food. We eat the flesh of the fruit—figuratively the flesh of Jesus, who personifies the sun which make the fruit grow; and we drink wine—the blood of the grapes, figuratively the blood of Jesus, who personifies the sun which made the grapes grow. Without this food we would perish. 
Note that food and drink are literally the elements which sustains life. When we participate in the Communion ritual in church we eat bread, figuratively the body of Jesus, and drink wine (or grape juice), figuratively the blood of Jesus, because food and drink are literally the elements which sustains life. It is the sun which makes plants grow so we can have food to eat and wine to drink. We personify the sun as Jesus and then give thanks to Jesus (the sun) for our food and drink. The harvest is our salvation. 

Scorpio
In late October the sun enters Scorpio, the Scorpion. The name of this sign in Arabic and Syriac is Al Akrab, which means wounding him that cometh. The brightest star in this sign bears the ancient Arabic name of Antares, which means the wounding.1 Thus, when the sun enters the house of Scorpio, the Scorpion figuratively stings the sun wounding it to make it slowly die. 
By late October it becomes very noticeable that the days are getting shorter and colder as the sun rises lower and lower each day. The sun, which lived to give us the harvest of food so that we may live, is now weak and dying. Darkness and cold begin to reign. The sun spends more of it's time down below in the underworld then it does above. The sun has descended down into hell. Night is longer than day, and the days aren't very warm. 
We've harvested the food. We've had our feast. Now the year tragically winds down and comes to an end as the days become short and cold. Similarly, after the last supper the Jesus story goes tragically downhill. 
In the Jesus story Jesus is betrayed by Judas, one of the twelve. Judas represents Scorpio the scorpion. Scorpio stings the sun condemning it to death, just as Judas kisses Jesus condemning him to death. 
It is interesting to note that even though the chief priests want to arrest and kill Jesus, they can not identify which person is Jesus, and resort to bribing Judas to point him out for them. It should be obvious by now which person Jesus is. Jesus has thousands of people following him. A huge crowd welcomed him as he entered Jerusalem, riding both an ass and a colt, quite a theatrical performance that would naturally draw a crowd. After entering Jerusalem Jesus continues to teach every day to the crowds assembled. Supposedly by now anyone could point him out, yet inexplicably the chief priests can not identify him, and resort to bribing Judas to point him out for them. 
Judas is a personification of Scorpio. Pilate, whom Jesus sees next after being betrayed by Judas, is a personification of Sagittarius, the next sign in the zodiac following Scorpio. Scorpio, the scorpion, stings the sun condemning it to death, just as Judas kisses Jesus condemning him to death. After the sun has it's fateful encounter with Scorpio it moves on to Sagittarius, leaving Scorpio below the horizon, a figurative death for Scorpio. Similarly, after Jesus (the sun) is kissed by Judas (Scorpio), Jesus (the sun) moves to stand trial before Pilate (Sagittarius), and Judas (Scorpio) dies a tragic death. 
There is a contradiction in the Bible regarding the death of Judas. Matthew 27:3-5 claims Judas returns the money and then hangs himself in an act of suicide. But in Acts 1:18 Judas is said to have used the money to buy a field in which "he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out," which sounds somewhat like an accident. Christian apologists try to come up with clever scenarios whereby both are true so there is no contradiction. I leave it to the reader and his imagination to try and reconcile these two conflicting passages. For our purposes we only care that Judas dies (Matthew 27:1-10), followed immediately by Jesus being handed over to Pilate (Matthew 27:11-26). 
______________________________________
[1] Joseph A. Seiss. The Gospel In The Stars pg. 45 
The claim is repeated by Ethelbert W. Bullinger in his book Witness of the Stars but he may have gotten it from Seiss. Other sources say Antares means "Rival of Mars" (Anti—Rival of, Ares—Mars), due to the star's noticeably red color which rivals that of the red planet Mars. I don't know where Seiss came up with wounding as a definition of Antares. 

Sagittarius
Sagittarius is the last constellation the sun passes through before the Winter Solstice, when our story ends. Similarly, Pilate is the last person Jesus sees in his story before the story ends. Pontius Pilate is a personification of Sagittarius. 
Sagittarius is a man on a horse with a bow and arrow. The theme is hunting. We're all done harvesting, so let's go hunting. It is a good time of the year to go hunting. The animals are full grown. And we've not much else to do, except it sure is getting dark and cold this time of year, isn't it? What's happening to our sun? It seems to be leaving us. Will it leave us forever? 
After the death of Judas (after Scorpio goes below the horizon), Jesus (the sun) is handed over to Pontius Pilate (Sagittarius). Pilate is the last person Jesus encounters in the story before being put to death, only to be resurrected three days later; just as Sagittarius is the last zodiac month of the year the sun passes through before dying on the Winter Solstice, December 22, only to be resurrected three days later and begin anew its journey northward, on December 25, Christmas day. 
"Pontius", ποντιος {pon'-tee-os} (Strong's Greek #4194), is literally "of the sea", a reference to the sea of stars above. (It's also of Latin origin, betraying it's late addition to the text.) [Click here to see the verse in Greek]. 
"Pilate", πειλατος {pil-at'-os} (Strong's Greek #4091), is literally "armed with a spear". Sagittarius, the archer, is armed with a bow and arrow, which serves the same purpose as a spear. The theme is hunting. We're all done harvesting, so let's go hunting. 
Sagittarius also pierces the side of the sun with his arrow, just as Jesus has his side pierced while on the cross.1 
But the days are getting shorter and shorter, and colder and colder, as the year comes to a close. The dark nights are getting longer. Things look dark and gloomy. What will happen to our savior, the sun, who makes the harvest grow providing us with life saving food? Will he disappear forever? Are we doomed? Is this the end? The good news of the Bible is, "No, this is not the end. It is the preface to a new beginning. The sun will arise again, the cycle will begin anew, and we will all be saved, again." 
The 12 labors of Hercules – the Augean Stables
HEROD 
Jesus is handed over to Herod (Luke 23:7-11) This makes it somewhat difficult for us to place these events in a historical context, because Herod died in 4 B.C., yet here we apparently have him alive again, at a time supposedly around A.D. 27. Christian apologists deal with this by claiming this is a different Herod, not the same Herod who tried to kill Jesus when Jesus was born. Christian apologists go even further to claim the Herod mentioned in Acts 23 is a third Herod. Well, why not? After all, the Bible doesn't explicitly say these are all the same Herod. 
Christians claim there were more than one Herod: what if there were more than one Jesus?
But of course using this logic we could claim multiple copies of any character whenever it was convenient for us. We could have two Judas characters, both who betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, one who returns the money and hangs himself (Matthew 27:3-5), and the other who uses the money to buy a field in which "he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out." (Acts 1:18). The Bible doesn't say there are two different people both named Judas, but then again the Bible doesn't explicitly say the Judas who tripped and fell is the same Judas who hanged himself, though such would be the natural conclusion, were it not for the fact that the two versions of the story contradict one another. 
So the Bible does not explicitly say this is a different Herod, though it would be the norm for any writer to mention such a thing if it really were a different person who happens to have the same name. After all the Bible does distinguish between John the Baptist and John the brother of James and son of Zebedee, so there's no confusion between which John it is referring to. Yet for Herod the Bible makes no distinction, leading us to believe it is the same Herod mentioned earlier. 
This of course leaves us desperate when trying to force this story into a historical context. However, there is no problem when we interpret the story as an allegory, with Jesus a personification of the sun and Herod a personification of the darkness and cold of night time and the dark and cold seasons of Autumn and Winter. As an allegory Herod figuratively "dies" every morning with the rising of the sun (Jesus), and regains power every evening with the setting of the sun. Herod also looses power when the bright warm seasons of Spring and Summer commence. Herod regains power in the dark and cold seasons of Autumn and Winter.
So if Herod is darkness and night, why the special connection to killing first-born sons? Why kill John the Baptist? What is the significance of cutting off his head? John was born at midsummer: why did he have to flee to Egypt? How do Passover and the original holocaust factor into this? Is this similar to the murder of the elder children in some primitive cultures? Herod would have been at his weakest when John was born. The summer solstice signifies the longest days – the victory of light over darkness: the slaying of the dragon.
Herod is a personification of Night. Herod, or the darkness of Night, is taking over Jesus, the sun, as the days get shorter and shorter in Autumn and darkness begins to reign. (See Matthew Chapter 2—The Birth of Jesus for more on King Herod). 
If Herod was a comet or solar eclipse, then John being beheaded could make sense in that rulers were often killed at the sighting of a comet. But in fact, perhaps Jesus was a stand-in for John during the turmoil. To bring light to those standing in the shadow of death…
Zechariah (OT) At evening time, there will be light.
ANTI-SEMITISM 
We also have clear anti-Semitism in the Bible here. The writer makes it very clear it is the Jews who are forever to blame for demanding Jesus be crucified. The Bible says, "Let his blood be on us and on our children!" (Matthew 27:25) Christians have used this passage ever since to justify persecution of the Jews. Yet the Jews don't have this as a part of their sacred scriptures. You don't find anywhere in the Old Testament a statement that the Jews should forever hence forth be persecuted. It is only in the Christian scriptures that we find this statement. 
Imagine if the Koran had a statement that Muslims used to justify endless persecution of Christians. Christians would forever be persecuted by Muslims, because of a statement in the Koran, a book Christians don't believe is holy scripture and never read. 
The Jews have been “persecuted” due to their mentality and acts, not because of scripture. Indeed, many more non-Jews have been persecuted by the Catholic church than Jews.
Persecution of Jews diminished after World War II when it was revealed that 6 million Jews had been exterminated during the war by the Nazis. It finally became unfashionable to persecute Jews. 
It was claimed, not revealed. Further, and how many non-jews died in that war? That war was fought in non-Jewish lands: had 6,000,000 non-Jews been living in Israel and there was a war there and they were killed, the Jews would say “they shouldn’t have been here in the first place. This is our land, not theirs”. The problems for the Jews began long before the time of Christ – they began when the Jews stole the traditions of other peoples and plagiarized them into their own racist, ethno-centrist blasphemies while at the same time vilifying the sources with their God’s chosen and Promised Land nonsense. The true sources of the Jews’ ills have yet to be properly addressed due to the threat of being labeled anti-Semitic, but the Jews mistreatment at times at the hands of non Jews is sourced in the world’s mistrust of the Jews which is based upon things much deeper than a few sentences placed in the New testament.
THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS 
Jesus is crucified and placed in a cave. It is the end of the story. A sad ending. But have faith. Jesus, the sun, will arise again — a new year will begin. Three days after Jesus is placed in the cave he will arise again. This is the prophecy. This is the good news of the Bible. 
On Christmas day, December 25, we celebrate the birth of Jesus. December 22 was the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, when the sun was at its lowest. Three days later, on December 25, the sun rises 1/10 of it's width farther north — just barely detectable by carefully observing the shadows cast at sunrise. Our savior, the sun, has been reborn, to begin the cycle of the year and the cycle of life again. 
Originally Jesus was said to have been born in a cave. The Catholic Encyclopedia (1910) article on "Bethlehem" says, “The tradition of the birth in a cave was widely accepted, as we see from Origen's words about a century later: — In Bethlehem the cave is pointed out where He was born, and the manger in the cave where He was wrapped in swaddling clothes, and the rumor is in those places and among foreigners of the Faith that indeed Jesus was born in this cave —. (Contra Celsum, I, li.) It is reproduced also in the apocryphal gospels (Pseudo-Matt., xiii, ap. Bonaccorsi, op. cit., 159-163; Protevang. of James, xvii sqq., Bonaccorsi, 155-159; Gospel of the Infancy, II-IV, Bonaccorsi, 163-164).” 
The Augean Stables, alternately, the abyss (Virgo’s secondary identifier)
[See Eusebius's Life of Constantine, lib. 3, chs xl, xli, and xlii.] [Also see Matthew Chapter 2—The Birth of Jesus] 
[Also note that arechaeological evidence indicates Bethlehem of Judea was uninhabited at the alleged time of Jesus' birth. "There is surprisingly no archaeological evidence that ties Bethlehem in Judea to the period in which Jesus would have been born." (The likelihood is there was no settlement at this site at that time.)— Where was Jesus Born? Archaeology magazine’s article Volume 58 Number 6, November/December 2005]
Bethlehem – the House of Bread – Virgo, aka the cave/abyss, alternately, The House of Ptah (Egypt: Beth Le Ham, or house of the tribe of Ham). Interestingly, there was a Caanite god called Lehem whom this House/town may have been named after. 
Hence the story is circular, just as the years are circular. A new year begins after the old year ends. 
  On New Years Eve we personify Father Time and Baby New Year, but we know these two figures aren't real people, they are merely personifications of the passage of time and the beginning of a new year. The current year is old and finished with. A new year is about to begin. The moment the Old Year ends a New Year begins. The cycle of life is circular and never ending. 
In the Gospel story of Jesus, after his resurrection the story ends. People have always asked what did he do after that? Why does the story end here? Why isn't the rest of his life chronicled? — The reason is, if you want to read the continuation of the story, turn back to page one. The story is circular. Three days after Jesus dies and is placed in the cave he is born again, and the story begins anew. 
In church it is customary to begin reading through one of the Gospels at the beginning of the year. Each Sunday we take the next chunk of the story and read it and the pastor makes a sermon on it, never realizing that the story is an allegory for the passage of time, the seasons of the year, which we ourselves live and experience, as we live our lives, dependent on the sun for light and for food. 
________________________________________
[1] Acharya S interview at http://www.consciousmedianetwork.com/members/acharya.htm (Oct. 2005)

Darkness (King Herod) ordering the death of all the stars (children) at dawn in an attempt to destroy the birth of the Sun (Jesus) which conquers darkness.
1907 book by Lyman E. Stowe
Solar Mythology and the Jesus Story
A Primer on Astrotheology
INDEX 
A.    Introduction 
B.    The Story of Jesus 
C.    MISCELLANEOUS ESSAYS 
D.    Recommended Books to Read 
Introduction
In ancient times people were very familiar with the Sun and the stars. At night they had nothing better to do than gaze up at the stars. They saw how the stars move across the sky during the night, and how different constellations are visible at different times of the year.
They made up stories which were allegories based on what they saw. Later on, these stories took on a life of their own, as the stories were passed down from generation to generation but the knowledge of what the stories represented was lost. People started believing the stories were real and actual history of events that actually really happened in the past, when originally the stories were nothing more than allegories for what people saw happening in the stars.
The ancients looked to the sky to determine what time of year it was. It was important to know what time of year it was. You needed to know when it was time to plant crops and when it was time to harvest the crops. As the year passed the Sun appears to make a journey through the constellations of the Zodiac. The entire story of Jesus’ ministry is an allegory for this journey.
“The name of Bishops, retained to this day,—the Episcopacy, the Diocese, the See, are all derived from that function of seeing, or looking out, to observe the phenomena of the visible heavens, which was their appointed duty.”1.
According to the current theory, humans were first hunter/gatherers, then they organized and became farmers—and this is where religion comes in. In order to farm you need to be aware of the seasons of the year; you need to be able to communicate to others your ideas; and you need to be able to pass down to the next generation the knowledge you've accumulated—hence “The Book”. You also have to have faith that this farming technique will work and you will be rewarded for your efforts with a bountiful harvest in the future.
If this theory is correct then ancient Religion was archaic science and modern science is our new religion. 
It's not surprising in our present culture of digital watches and wall calendars that we've lost the original astronomical meaning of these Bible stories. Today most people never look at the stars or pay any attention to the position of the sun in the sky.
The following is the result of my intensive investigation into the Bible, its contents, origin, history, and everything that modern day biblical scholars know. Surprisingly, the link between Solar Mythology and the Bible was known over two centuries ago. (See History of Research into Solar Mythology and the Bible.) 

THE STORY OF JESUS
There are three distinct theories on who Jesus was: 
1.    Deity: Jesus was the son of God who came to earth in human form. 
2.    Evemerism: Jesus was a man who was later deified. 
3.    Myth: Jesus never existed. The whole story is a myth. 
1. It's inconceivable that during the alleged time of Jesus no one bothered to write down anything about this most extraordinary person, yet the extensive historical record of that time makes no mention of Jesus. 

2. The motif of a crucified savior God who dies and is resurrected already existed in many other religions prior to the alleged time of Jesus. The parallels between Jesus and these other preexisting religious saviors were so strong that early church fathers resorted to the desperate claim that the Devil had deviously copied the true story of Jesus before it actually happened in an attempt to mislead the gullible. 

3. Jesus begins his one year ministry by visiting John who baptizes with water. The Sun begins its yearly journey by visiting Aquarius, the water bearer. Jesus leaves John, who is put in prison, and visits Simon and Andrew, two fishermen. The Sun leaves Aquarius, who goes below the horizon, and visits Pisces, the two fish. The remarkable parallels continue. 

Jesus, who never existed, whose story existed prior to his alleged time, is a personification of the Sun, which dies in Winter and is resurrected in Spring, saving us from the evil of cold and darkness. The story is an allegory misinterpreted as history.     
1.    There is an immense lack of historical evidence that Jesus ever existed. 
2.    Crucified Saviors existed in many religions prior to the alleged time of Jesus. 
3.    The Story of Jesus' one year ministry is an Astronomical Allegory for the Sun passing through the Zodiac each year. 

LESSONS ON SOLAR MYTHOLOGY
Solar Mythology as the Origin of the Jesus Story Explained 
“The Sun shall from the grave arise, And tread again the summer skies.” 
The following lessons explain basic concepts of observational astronomy and then show the striking parallels between the Jesus Story and the Sun's annual passage through the Zodiac and the changing seasons of the year. 
1.    Day <—Click here to begin 
2.    Night 
3.    Day and Night, the eternal struggle 
4.    Heaven and Hell 
5.    High Noon 
6.    Sundials 
7.    Latitude of the Holy Lands 
8.    The Northern Hemisphere 
9.    Earth's Precession 
10.    Our Yearly Calendar 
11.    The Constellations Don't Look Like What They're Named 
12.    The Seasons of the Year 
13.    The Celestial Sphere 
14.    Sunset 
15.    The Sun Travels Along the Ecliptic 
16.    Ascertaining the Time of Year 
17.    When Does The Year Begin? <—Here we begin our parallel of the Jesus Story to the Solar Myth 
18.    Age 30 
19.    Aquarius 
20.    Temptation to be Lazy 
21.    Aquarius put in Prison 
22.    Pisces 
23.    Aries, the lamb that takes away the sins of the earth. 
24.    Pisces & the Christian Symbol of the Fish 
25.    Spring Calms the Storm 
26.    Taurus 
27.    Aquarius Beheaded 
28.    The Sun Walks on the Water 
29.    The Summer Solstice 
30.    Summer Time 
31.    Recap 
32.    Virgo: Harvest Time 
33.    Libra: The Scales of Justice 
34.    Scorpio (Judas) 
35.    Sagittarius (Pontius Pilate) 
36.    (Rest of Lessons are Under Construcion) 
37.    Matthew Chapter 2 — The Birth of Jesus 
38.    Scripture Which Suggests Jesus is the Sun 
39.    Vertical vs. Horizontal thinking 

THE BIRTH OF JESUS EXAMINED
The New Testament was originally written in Greek. We start with an example of how much can be lost in translation. 
•    A Literal Translation of Matthew 2:1 
•    A List of English Bible Translations 
•    The Jumping Frog by Mark Twain His short story translated into French and then back into English. 
We follow with a detailed walk through the book of Matthew, showing how the entire story as a whole is an allegory originating from Solar Mythology. 
•    Matthew Chapter 2 — The Birth of Jesus 

OTHER ESSAYS ON SOLAR/ASTRAL MYTHOLOGY 
•    The Story of Jesus' one year ministry is an Astronomical Allegory for the Sun passing through the Zodiac each year. 
•    The Story of Jesus is an Astrological Allegory by Lyman E. Stowe (1907) 
•    An Explanation Of The Fable, In Which The Sun Is Worshipped Under The Name Of Christ. by Charles François Dupuis (1798) 
•    Matthew is the star Regulus (Sermon by Robert Taylor - 1831) 
•    "Belief, Not the Safe Side" (Sermon by Robert Taylor - 1831)[Taylor's rebuttal of Pascal's Wager]  
•    The Resurrection of Lazarus (Sermon by Robert Taylor - 1831) 
•    The Raising Of Lazarus: Truth Or Sun Myth? [offsite] 
•    Matthew Chapter 2 — The Birth of Jesus as Solar Mythology 
•    History of Research into Solar Mythology and the Bible 
•    Astral Mythology and the Book of Revelation by Charles François Dupuis (1798) 
•    Astrotheology of the Ancients [offsite. Acharya S]  

So Jesus is a myth and God is dead. Now what?
Are we doomed to endure a meaningless existence, with no moral compass to guide us? Not necessarily. 
“God does not need me or the church to defend God. Any God that I have to defend is a pretty weak God it seems to me, and any God the church needs to defend. I'm always amazed at religious people who somehow think I have the power to destroy God. The only power I might possibly have is the power to raise questions about their limited understanding of God. And if they've identified their limited understanding of God with all that God is, then it feels to them as if I'm destabilizing belief in God itself. I don't have that power. I certainly don't have that ability.” 
        —Bishop John Shelby Spong 
          (Bishop Spong Speaks Out: Sept. 11 and Death of God, the Father / the Bishop & the Cosmologist) 

A new concept of God is emerging, one more compatible with our current knowledge of reality. God has moved to a new location. To understand this new concept of God, read this brief history of God. 
•    Where is God now? (A Brief History of God) 
•    The Five Gods of America 
There are two distinctly different forms of Christianity. One is doomed because it conflits with reality. The other has a chance of surviving, because it focuses on the message, rather than the messenger. 
•    Two Models of Christianity 
Our moral compass has always been within us, given to us by evolution. There's no other way we as a species could have survived. 

Earth's Precession and the Stars
In addition to placing ourselves in the latitude of the Holy Land, we also need to make one other point of reference change, and that is we need to go back in time about 2000 years to when the New Testament was written. This is important because the position of the sun relative to the stars has changed somewhat during the past 2000 years due to the earth's precession. 
The earth is like a big spinning top or gyroscope. If you spin a gyroscope and hold it on the tip of your finger you'll notice the axis of spin changes slowly over time making a small circle. You'll notice the same thing if you spin a top on the floor—the axis of spin changes slowly over time making a small circle. The only difference is the earth isn't suspended by a finger, nor is the earth spinning on a floor. There is no cosmic force of gravity "downwards" towards the South pole. The force of gravity is actually sunwards, towards the sun, and moonwards, towards the moon which is constantly orbiting the earth. It is these two forces which cause the slow precession of the earth. 
The first difference is 2000 years ago the celestial north pole was not where the star Polaris is. Today the celestial north pole is very close to Polaris. We call Polaris the North Star because if you can find it and point to it you will be pointing North. However, around 0 A.D. the celestial north pole was actually between the Big Dipper and Little Dipper, as shown on this diagram at left. (Note: There actually is no year 0 A.D., the years jump from 1 B.C. to A.D. 1.) 
(Note how the two end stars of the Big Dipper point to Polaris. This can help you find Polaris next time you're outside at night.) 
The second difference is 2000 years ago the sun was entering Capricorn on December 22, whereas today the sun doesn't arrive at that position until January 18, almost a month later. 
In the illustration here the sun has just set and the stars have just come out, and we can see that the sun is positioned on the front leg of the constellation Capricorn. This is where the sun was relative to the stars on December 22 around the year A.D. 1. In our present age you have to wait until January 18 to see this. 
WHEN AND WHERE
To summarise, we need to go back in time about 2000 years, and we need to position ourselves at a latitude of around 25-50 degrees North so we are both at the time and the place when and where the New Testament was written. From here on out my discussion will be from the point of view. 

Our Current Calendar
Our present day calendar keeps track of the solar year. It's a 365 day calendar divided into twelve months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December. The length of the solar year is actually slightly longer than 365 days, so every now and then we add an extra day to the year to bring our calendar back in sync with the solar year. This way our calendar is at most a day off. 
[The formula for determining when to add an extra day to the year is a bit complicated. It goes like this:
1.    Add an extra day every four years. 
2.    Every one hundred years we skip a leap year. 
3.    Every four hundred years we DO have the leap year that we would normally skip. 
So... 
1.    Years evenly divisible by 4 are leap years. 
2.    Except years evenly divisible by 100 are NOT leap years. 
3.    EXCEPT years evenly divisible by 400 which ARE leap years. 
Hence the average duration of our present day calendar is 365 + 1/4 - 1/100 + 1/400 = 365.2425 days, which is pretty close to the actual length of the solar year of 365.2422 days. Our present day yearly calendar is only three tenthousandths (0.0003) of a day too long.] 
It's interesting to note that there is no year A.D. 0 or 0 B.C.. The years jump from 1 B.C. to A.D. 1. 

The Constellations Don't Look Like What They're Named
(From South Park Episode 211 "Roger Ebert Should Lay Off The Fatty Foods") 
[Inside the planetarium]
Dr. Adams: Good morning children and welcome to the plane-arium. We're going on a fascinating ride through the universe. So I want you to lean back in your chairs and get comfortable.
(The chairs lean back)
Stan: This is stupid.
Dr. Adams: And now I'm going to dim the lights, and let the stars....come out.
Kyle: Whoopee...
Dr. Adams: Here we see the constellation called the Big Dipper. If I project the drawing of a big dipper on top of it, we see where the constellation gets its name. 
Dr. Adams: These stars over here form the constellation of Taurus, the bull. 
Dr. Adams: While these stars form the constellation Roger Ebert.
Dr.Adams: And these two little stars over here form the constellation, the Crusades.
The reason some constellations don't look anything like what they are named is because some constellations have more to do with what time of year it is when they become prominent and what that time of year originally reminded people of. For example, the constellation Aquarius, the Water Bearer, is the constellation that becomes prominent during the rainy season. The stars doen't look anything like a guy pouring a pitcher of water. Connecting the stars to try and make an image of a guy pouring a pitcher of water is futile. But every year when those stars are just above the horizon at sunset it always rains because it's that time of year. Hence people began identifying that set of stars with rain, and eventually personified those stars as a guy pouring a pitcher of water. 

Demonstration That No Such Person As Jesus Christ Ever Existed
by Rev. Robert Taylor (1829)
There were two very different opinions concerning Christ very early among Christians. Some, as Augustin says,17 believed Christ to be God, and denied him to be man; others believed he was a man, and denied him to be God. The former was the opinion of the Manichees, and of many others before them; of others so early, indeed, and so certainly, that Cotelerius, in a note on Ignatins’s Epistle to the Trallians, assures us that it would be as absurd as to question that the sun shone at mid-day,18 to deny that the doctrine that taught that Christ’s body was a phantom only, and that no such person as Jesus Christ had ever any corporeal existence, was held in the time of the apostles themselves.19 Ignatius, the apostolic Father, expressly censures this opinion as having gained ground even before his time. “If, as some who are atheists—that is, unbelievers—say, that he only suffered in appearance,20 —an expression which, as Cotelerius observes, plainly shows the early rise of this doctrine. And from the apostolic age downwards, in a never interrupted succession, but never so strongly and emphatically as in the most primitive times, was the existence of Christ as a man most strenuously denied. So that though nothing is so convenient to some persons as to assume airs of contempt, and to cry out that those who deny that such a person as Jesus of Nazareth ever existed, are utterly unworthy of being answered, and would fly in the face of all historical evidence, the fact of the case is, that the being of no other individual mentioned in history ever laboured under such a deficiency of evidence as to its reality, or was ever overset by a thousandth part of the weight of proof positive, that it was a creation of imagination only. 
To the question, then, On what grounds do you deny that such a person as Jesus Christ existed as a man? the proper answer is, 
•    Because his existence as a man has, from the earliest day on which it can be shown to have been asserted, been as earnestly and strenuously denied, and that, not by enemies of the Christian name, or unbelievers of the Christian faith, but by the most intelligent, most learned, most sincere of the Christian name, who ever left the world proofs of their intelligence and learning in their writings, and of their sincerity in their sufferings; 
•    And because the existence of no individual of the human race, that was real and positive, was ever, by a like conflict of jarring evidence, rendered equivocal and uncertain. 
Robert Taylor— DIEGESIS: Being a Discovery of the Origin, Evidences, and Early History of Christianity pg. 253 (1829) 
FOOTNOTES: 
17. Ait enim Christus Deus est tantum, omnino hominis nihil habens. Hoc Manichæi dicunt. Photiani, homo tantum. Manichei, Deus tantum.—August. Serm. 37, c. 12.
18. As absurd as to question that the sun shone, &c. Solem negaret meridie lucere, qui Docetas, sen phantasiastas hæreticos temporibus apostolorum inficiaretur erupisse.—Cotel. ad Ign. Ep. ad Trall. c. 10. 
19. Apostolis adhuc in seculo superstitibus, adhuc apud Judæam Christi sanguine recenti, phantasma Domini corpus asserebatur.—Hieron. adv. Lucif. T. 4, p. 304. 
20. Ει  δε  ωσπερ   τινες  αθεοι   οντες,   τουτ’εστιν   απιστοι,   λεγουσιν  το   δοκειν  πεπον— θεναι  αυτον  κ.  τ.  λ. 
—Ign. ad Trall. c. 10, et passim. 
[From Chapter 10 of Ignatius' Epistle to the Trallians. You can find the complete translated text (in a number of different versions) on the web.]

The Story of Jesus is the story of the Sun passing through the Zodiac during the year. Note the following: 
Jesus goes on a journey during his ministry.    The Sun goes a journey through the Zodiac during the year. The journey of the Sun matches up with the journey Jesus takes during his ministry.
Jesus' ministry is said to last a year.    The Sun completes its circuit of the Zodiac in a year.
Jesus is said to have twelve disciples.    The year has twelve months. The Zodiac is divided into twelve "houses," representing the twelve divisions of the year (Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius.) There are twelve cycles of the moon in a year. The Jewish calendar is actually a Lunar calendar, with twelve months following the twelve cycles of the moon (Nisan, Iyyar, Sivan, Tammuz, Ab, Elul, Tishri, Cheshvan, Kislev, Tebeth, Shebat, Adar.) Occasionally it is necessary to throw in an extra month, Adar2, to keep the Jewish Lunar calendar in sync with the solar year, just as we occasionally throw in an extra day (Feb. 29) to keep our calendar in sync with the solar year. The prominence of the number 12 is always a strong sign that the story is an astrological allegory for the passage of the year.
The story of Jesus is circular. He originally was said to have been born in a cave1 — the same cave he is placed in at the end of the story when he dies, to be resurrected three days later.    The year is circular. A new year begins immediately after the old year ends. On New Years Eve we celebrate the end of the old year, personified as an old man, and the "birth" of the new year, personified as "Baby New Year." We don't actually think "Baby New Year" and "Father Time" are real people, we understand they are just personifications of abstract concepts. 
Jesus is said to be resurrected after 3 days in the cave. We celebrate Jesus' birthday on December 25, three days after the Winter Solstice of December 22.    The Sun "dies" on December 22, the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. Three days later the Sun rises 1/10 of a degree further North, just barely detectable by carefully observing shadows (I've observed the Sun's shadows and taken measurements and have determined it is possible to determine the position of the Sun to this accuracy). The Sun has been resurrected; a new year has begun. 
(Remember in the old days light bulbs didn't exist — the only light was the Sun)
John 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world." (The "light of the world" is the Sun.)
John 9:5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world. (The "light of the world" is the Sun.)
Matthew 4:16 The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned." (The light is the Sun)
Matthew 17:2 His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.
John 1:3-8 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (Without the Sun nothing would grow and we'd all be dead.) In him was life, and that life was the light of men. (The light is the Sun.) The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (the Sun removes the darkness). There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He [John] came as a witness to testify concerning that light (the Sun), so that through him all men might believe. He [John] himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light (the Sun) that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
John 3:19-20 This is the verdict: Light (the Sun) has come into the world, but men loved darkness (night time) instead of light (the Sun) because their deeds were evil (criminals do their crimes at night). Everyone who does evil hates the light (the Sun), and will not come into the light (the Sun) for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
John 12:35-36 Then Jesus told them, "You are going to have the light (the light is the Sun) just a little while longer (the Sun will set soon). Walk while you have the light (the light is the Sun), before darkness (night time) overtakes you. The man who walks in the dark (at night) does not know where he is going. Put your trust in the light (the light is the Sun)while you have it, so that you may become sons of light." When he had finished speaking, Jesus left and hid himself from them (i.e. the sun set, because Jesus is the Sun).
John 12:46 I have come into the world as a light (the Sun), so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
Ephesians 5:14 Christ (the Sun) will shine on you.
Philippians 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven (the celestial sphere above); from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ (the Sun). (i.e. we should look upwards to the celestial sphere above to find our story.)
Colossians 3:2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 
Luke 4:19 To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. (i.e. the story is about the passage of the year.)
(By the way the Old Testament also talks about God as being the Sun)
Psalms 84:11 "the Lord God is a sun..."
Deuteronomy 4:24 "For the LORD your God is a consuming fire," (the Sun is a consuming fire.)
Malachi 4:2 "the Sun of Righteousness..."
The journey of Jesus is the journey of the Sun passing through the Zodiac
The Sun passes through Capricorn, the goat (Dec. 22 - Jan. 19) The starting date is December 22, the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, when the Sun is at its lowest ascension. This is the beginning of the Sun's annual journey. By December 25 it becomes apparent the Sun is once again climbing into the sky on it's annual journey — the sun rises slightly farther North and the days begin to get longer. We celebrate the birth of our Savior the Sun who will make the harvest grow so we will have food to eat.     Matthew chapter 2. King Herod looks to Bethlehem, the house of bread, Virgo, but Jesus is not there, because Jesus is in Capricorn.
Also Luke chapter 2.
The Sun passes through Aquarius, the Water Bearer (Jan. 20 - Feb. 18). It is the rainy season. The theme is of water. The earth is baptized with the water of the yearly rains.    Jesus visits John the Baptist and is baptized with water. John the Baptist is Aquarius, the Water Bearer. John the Baptist (Aquarius) promises us Jesus (the Sun) will give us something better than water. Jesus (the Sun) will give us the harvest of food later on in the year. We need water to stay alive; but more importantly we need food. We can have the water now, but we will have to wait for the food until harvest time. (Matthew chapter 3; Mark chapter 1; Luke chapter 3; John 1:19-28) The Baptism of Rain is always at the beginning of the story, because rain begins the Harvest Cycle.
The Sun passes through Pisces, the Two Fish (Feb. 19 - March 20). This is a good time to go fishing, since it just rained last month there's lots of water around to fish in. There's also no harvest yet, so we'll have to live on fish for now.    Jesus visits Simon and his brother Andrew, who are fishermen. Simon and Andrew are personifications of the two fish of Pisces. (Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:16;) During this season the faithful Catholics, Episcopalians, and Mahommedans observe Lent, when they abstain from meat and live upon the fishes.2

The Sun passes through Aries, the Ram or Lamb (March 21 - April 19) The starting date is March 21, the Vernal Equinox, when the Sun rises directly in the East. Christians celebrate East-er on the first Sunday after the first full moon after this date. Some ancient calendars place the Vernal Equinox as the beginning of the year. The Astrological Calendar found in Horoscopes in the newspaper always start with Aries, the Vernal Equinox. Spring is when lambs are born.    Jesus, the Sun, is now in Aries, and becomes the Lamb of God. (A young sheep is a Lamb, and a male sheep is a Ram.)
The Sun passes through Taurus, the Bull, (April 20 - May 20).     
The Sun passes across the Milky Way, that starry band that lies like a lake across the night sky, between Taurus and Gemini (around May 21-June 4).    Jesus crosses "the lake". (Mat 8:8; Mark 4:35; Luke 8:22; John 6:16-25;)
The Sun passes through Gemini, the twins Castor and Pollux (May 21 - June 20)    Mat. 8:28-34 Jesus heals two demon possessed men. (I bet their names were Castor and Pollux, the names of the two bright stars in Gemini. Also see Acts 28:11) 

The Sun passes through Cancer, the Crab that thought to go backwards (June 21 - July 22) The starting date is June 21, the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, when the Sun is at its highest ascension. After this day the Sun does go backwards, beginning it's descent Southward, as the days get shorter and shorter.     
The Sun passes through Leo, the Lion (July 23 - Aug. 22), for the strong hot days of summer.    Mat. 9:9 Jesus (the Sun) visits "a man named Matthew" (the star Regulus). [See Why Regulus is Matthew (Devil's Pulpit Sermon by Robert Taylor).] This occurs around July 27, a few days into Leo. 
Some days later, Around 8/1-8/21, Aquarius rises in the West at sunset and appears to be beheaded by the horizon. This is allegorized as John the Baptist (Aquarius) being raised from the dead and being beheaded. (Mat. 14:1-12; Mark 6:14-29; Luke 9:7-9) 
Afterwards comes Jesus' transfiguration (Mat. 17:1-13, Mark 9:2-13, Luke 9:28-36). Jesus goes to a high mountain top and shines brightly, just as the Sun is high in the sky and shines warmly and brightly during the Summer months. 
[Mat. 14:34 "when they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. Constellation Lyra? next to milky way? above scales of justice?]
The Sun passes through Virgo the eternal Virgin of the Harvest (Aug. 23 - Sep. 22). It's finally Harvest time!    Jesus (the Sun) makes his triumphant entry into Jerusalem (the Zodiac house of Virgo, the Virgin). Everyone is happy, because it's Harvest time! (Matthew chapter 21; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44; John 12:12-19) 
The Sun passes through Libra, the Scales of justice, when farmers sell the harvest (Sep. 23 - Oct. 23). The starting date is September 23, the Autumnal Equinox, the beginning of Autumn. On this day the Sun once again rises directly in the East and sets directly in the West. The day and night are once again of equal length. But darker days lie ahead. The days (good) will continue to get shorter and shorter, as night (bad) gets longer and longer.    Matthew 21:12-17 Jesus drives out the moneychangers and overturns their tables. (Actually they just leave after the harvest is sold, having completed their business.)
"The Lord's Supper (or Last Supper)." (Mark 14:12-26; Luke 22:7-38) We all get together and eat the harvest, the flesh of the fruit, the blood of the grape, and give thanks to the Sun for providing us the harvest.
The Sun passes through Scorpio, the Scorpion, which figuratively stings and kills the Sun, causing it to slowly die, as the days are getting shorter, starting October 24.    Jesus curses the Fig Tree and it Withers (Mat. 21:18-22; Mark 11:20-21; Luke 26:17-30). Actually all the trees loose their leaves at this time of year because it is Autumn. That's what trees naturally do during this time of year.
Judas betrays Jesus. The name Judas, literally means "disabled in the limbs, maimed, crippled," (see Strong's Number [2455]) The Scorpion disables with its sting. (that's actualy Strongs 376) Judas is a personification of Scorpio. 
The Sun passes through Sagittarius (Nov. 22 - Dec. 21). Sagittarius is a man on horse holding a bow and arrow. He is the archer. He is a hunter. This is a good season to go hunting.    Jesus goes before Pontius Pilate (ποντιοσ  πιλατοσ). (Matthew 27:2) Pontius literally means "of the sea" i.e. the sea of stars above (Strong's Number [4194]) and Pilate literally means "armed with a spear" (Strong's Number [4091]). Sagittarius, the archer, is the man armed with a spear. Pontius Pilate is a personification of Sagittarius, the last person Jesus sees in the story, and the last Zodiac sign the sun travels through. 
FOOTNOTES:
1. The writer of that portion of the Gospel according to Matthew which treats of the place in which Jesus was born, states that he was born in a house. In Matthew 2:11 the Greek word is οικια. (Strong's Number [3614]) However, the writer of the Luke version implies that he was born in a stable (Luke 2:7). If these accounts were contained in these Gospels in the time of Eusebius, the first ecclesiastical historian, who flourished during the Council of Nice (A. D. 327), it is very strange that, in speaking of the birth of Jesus, he should have omitted even mentioning them, and should have given an altogether different version. He tells us that Jesus was neither born in a house, nor in a stable, but in a cave. [Eusebius's Life of Constantine, lib. 3, chs xl, xli, and xlii.] 
"The tradition of the birth in a cave was widely accepted, as we see from Origen's words about a century later: “In Bethlehem the cave is pointed out where He was born, and the manger in the cave where He was wrapped in swaddling clothes, and the rumor is in those places and among foreigners of the Faith that indeed Jesus was born in this cave”. (Contra Celsum, I, li.) It is reproduced also in the apocryphal gospels (Pseudo-Matt., xiii, ap. Bonaccorsi, op. cit., 159-163; Protevang. of James, xvii sqq., Bonaccorsi, 155-159; Gospel of the Infancy, II-IV, Bonaccorsi, 163-164)." Catholic Encyclopedia article on "Bethlehem" (1910)
(Also see St. Justin Martyr Dial., lxxviii) 
Allegorically the cave is the dark abode from which the wandering Sun starts in the morning. As the Dawn springs fully armed from the forehead of the cloven Sky, so the eye first discerns the blue of heaven, as the first faint arch of light is seen in the East. This arch is the cave in which the infant is nourished until he reaches his full strength—in other words, until the day is fully come. 
Note how all the stars disappear at Dawn just before the Sun arrives, from whence we get the allegorical story of King Herod (a personification of Darkness, which reigns supreme at night) ordering the death of all the children.      
REFERENCES:
Thomas William Doane Bible Myths and Their Parallels in Other Religions Chapter XVI: The Birth-Place of Christ Jesus, p. 154. Also p. 481. The book references George W. Cox: Aryan Mythology, vol. i, p. 153.
[Return to text.] 
2. Kersey Graves The World's Sixteen Crucified Saviours: Christianity Before Christ, p.96 (1875)
Available online at http://media.isnet.org/off/XXtian/critic/16/16.html
Also at http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/kersey_graves/16/
Also at http://www.awitness.org/essays/bkup/16_crucified_saviors/

The Story of Jesus is an Astrological Allegory for the Sun passing through the Zodiac each year
(From the 1907 book by Lyman E. Stowe 
Now the Sun is re-born every year on the 25th day of December; that is, the days begin to lengthen. It is the winter solstice. He is his own father. He is born in the stable between the constellations of the horse and goat, Sagittarius and Capricornus. 
The Bible uses a day for a year. The Astrologer uses a day for a year. 
Thirty years alter Christ’s birth he was baptized. Thirty days after the Sun is born he enters the sign Aquarius, the water-bearer (Baptismo). After his baptism Christ took his disciples from among the fishermen, and the Sun next enters the sign Pisces, the fishes. We observe Lent and eat fish one day of the week in honor of the Sun’s passage through the sign of the fishes. 
Look at the cut again. Christ then became the good shepherd of the flock. The Sun enters the sign Aries, the lamb. He is yet young, the lamb or the young Sun God. 
Christ then went out to the salvation of men. Let us see how the Sun God goes out to the salvation of men. 
The ancients had consumed the products of the year before and were praying for their Sun God to come back and warm the earth, to bring forth vegetation, which all animal life required. He came, and now he must go forth to the salvation of man; fit the fields for plowing. The bull comes in here for his share of glory, and he is worshiped, because he represents agriculture. The fields are plowed and seed is sown for a late harvest. Look at the cut — the twins represent increase. 
Christ spoke of the backsliders. Every year the Sun enters the sign Cancer. June 21st to July 22d, symbolized by the crab, which crawls backward, and all vegetation dries up and retreats back into the earth. 
This is the summer solstice, or John the Baptist, born just six months before Christ, and who says, John III-30, 
“He must increase and I must decrease.”
Christ became the Lion of the twelve tribes of Judah. Every year the Sun enters the sign Leo, the lion, and becomes the Lion of the Twelve Signs of the Zodiac. 
When? Why, the 22d of July to 23d of August, when the Sun is hottest; exerts most power, the “Lion.” 
Let the reader look at the cut at each paragraph or description of each sign. 
Our Christian friends sup to the vestal virgin. When? Every year when the Sun enters the sign Virgo, whose symbol is the Virgin, August 23d to September 23d. Now look at the cut and the central cross, on which the Sun is Crucified every year, and you will see the Sun has passed over the cross on which he is annually crucified, and, like Christ, has his cross on his back — i.e., passed over it. 
Our Christian friends lay much stress upon the judgment day. Every year, on the 23d day of September, the Sun enters the sign Libra, symbolized by the balance. Every year after harvest the farmer balances up his books and pays his debts. But there the Sun God presents a parallel to the Son of God on the road to the crucifixion. The Sun begins to retreat, the days to grow shorter. The Sun, like Christ, is bearing his cross toward the crucifixion. Keep the eye on the cut. The Son of God was crucified between the two thieves. The Sun God is crucified between the two heavenly thieves. Scorpio and Sagittarius, October 23d to November 22d — November 22d to December 21st. There is a harvest somewhere every month in the year, except these two months, the heavenly thieves. 
The Sun lost its power, retreated back where it is white and cold. But Sagittarius became the repentant thief, gives up, does not wait until January 1st, but gives up December 25th. And after the Sun comes out of hades, where he was for three days, while the days are of one length, he is re-born, the same as Christ. There are three days about the same length, the three days the Son of God was supposed to have descended into hades. 
Is this not complete?
Have I left anything out?
What? You say No?
Yes, I have left out the betrayer.
Who was the betrayer?
Judas Iscariot was Christ’s betrayer.
But who was the Sun God’s betrayer?
The ancients had noticed, notwithstanding their prayers and sacrifices, every year the Sun deserted them and went back until, to them, he died, was finally resurrected. They could not believe their loved Sun God could willingly desert them, so they looked into the heavens to see why he went back. 
In the tall, every year, they saw him retreat, apparently followed by a tremendous heavenly host, for there are more stars in the constellations Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius than in any others, and it was these stars that seemed to be chasing and pressing the Sun back. They were led on by a bright and beautiful star the ancients had seen in the east, in early morning, in spring and summer months, just as we do now. By the tip of the earth he has apparently fallen to evening star, leading on the heavenly host. We call it Venus, the Goddess of Love. They called it “Lucifer, the light-bearer.” 
So they cried, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, Star of the Morning?” And so here you have the story of the war in heaven. 
THE KISS OF BETRAYAL.
Let me here call attention to another phase of the story, though bearing more heavily in favor of the ideal than the real. I am compelled to give the Catholic Church a considerable credit here, for holding in form at least the sacredness of virtue which they hold to so strongly in the celibacy of the priesthood and sacredness of the marriage ties, if not in the immaculate conception. All of this was no doubt drawn from a parallel story in the heavens, originally by the sex worshippers. 
      Christ, the Son of God, was always talking out of doors, mostly in the summer time.
      So do we look upon the sun, mostly in summer. 
      Christ had 12 disciples.
      The sun has 12 disciples or 12 signs of the Zodiac.
      Christ was betrayed by a kiss from Judas Iscariot.
      The sun is betrayed by a kiss from Lucifer, the light bearer, we call Venus the Goddess of Love.
      Christ was wont to go to the garden of Gethsemane, where he was finally pursued by the hosts, led on by Judas Iscariot. 
      Where this garden was situated no one knows. 
      The word Gethsemane means olives or oil press — says Potter; 
The sun takes his course through the gardens at the summer months, pursued by the heavenly host of stars of Sagittarius, the sign of religion, and Scorpio and Libra, led on by Lucifer, the light bearer, or Venus. 
As Judas betrayed Christ, so does Lucifer or Venus betray the sun in this way. 
The sun is the life giver, yet stands alone in his virtue. 
Knowing his time has come to be crucified, he offers the last supper of the harvest year, after which he offers a sop to the 12 signs or disciples; that is, in the fall as in the spring there is apparently a new lease of life, animal desires are strengthened as if for a temptation for self destruction. Old age forgets its weakness and wastes vital forces. The lower animals propagate their species; even the trees and flowers put forth new efforts. This is the sop the sun gives at the last supper. 
Venus, the Goddess of Love, or Lucifer, as they called it, exerts the influences of passion on all nature, the kiss of betrayal, that is, the wages of sin is death. The old man loses his vitality, the lower animals bring forth their young to perish by the rigors of winter, the trees and flowers are caught by the early frosts; thus, “The wages of sin is death.” All the results of the betrayal by a kiss of passion, for which Lucifer, I. e., Venus, the Goddess of Love, is ashamed of. 
We must remember that Judas betrayed the Master for 30 pieces of silver. Matthew xxvii:5 says: 
      “And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and went out and hanged himself.”
Here the writer evidently made a mistake. There was no parallel for his hanging himself, but a later writer seeing the error, astrologically says — Acts 1:18: 
      “Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.”
(See cut of cosmic man.) 
 We must remember that at the time Christ was betrayed it was in the garden at night time. 
The silver moon is the ruler of the night, and the beautiful autumn nights are longer than the days, and there are 30 degrees in each sign. These 30 silver moon nights are the 30 pieces of silver Lucifer, Venus, betrayed the sun for. He had been the morning star, but now betrayed for the 30 pieces of silver night, but now cast them down in the potter’s field a graveyard of fall tragedies and disappears here, only to appear again as morning star in the spring, and we see nothing but the man with his bowels broke asunder, which covers Virgo, Libra and Scorpio to the secrets, and Lucifer disappears, to be born again in the springtime. 
We must remember a piece of silver was of but 13 cents of our money or 30 pieces of but $3.90; a very small sum to get for the betrayal to death. 
That is an evidence of an allegory. 
Which is it, a sacred novel founded on astronomy, or is the story of the Son of God paralleled in the heavens as a testimony? 
The truths supposed to be spoken by Christ stamp the character too grand and noble to be cast down. whichever way it is, and If I must err I will err on the side that bears the strongest testimony. If I accept it as an allegory I have but one side; if I accept it as a parallel I have a testimony. 
Now which is it? 
Is the Christian religion, with all other religions, together with Mythology and Free Masonry, based upon Astrology? Or is it a fact that the Sun and stars are enacting the story of the Christian religion every year? Is the fact about to be recognized that the observation of Sunday as a religious holiday originated with an Astrologer, and is a testimony that the whole work is Astrological? 
(From the 1907 book by Lyman E. Stowe
Stowe's Bible Astrology: The Bible Founded on Astrology (Kessinger Publishing), pp. 204-210) 

Seasons of the Year
 Winter Solstice
(Dec. 21 or 22)
The Sidereal Year begins on the Winter Solstice (December 21 or 22). This is the beginning of Winter. The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year. The sun rises south of due east and sets south of due west. The sun is also at a low angle in the sky. Because the days are short and the sun is at a low angle it is cold during Winter. It rains a lot during Winter. 
Spring Equinox
(March 21)
As the year progresses the days get longer and longer. Each day the sun rises and sets slightly farther north than it did the day before. After one quarter of a year we reach the Spring Equinox (March 21) when the sun rises due east (hence the term East-er) and sets due west. Day and night are of equal length. This is the beginning of Spring. The goodness of light and warmth begins to conquer the badness of darkness and cold. Crops begin to grow. 
Summer Solstice
(June 21)
As the year progresses further the days continue to get longer. Each day the sun rises farther north of due east than it did the day before, and sets farther north of due west. At mid-year we reach the Summer Solstice (June 21) when the sun rises farthest north of due east and sets farthest north of due west. The Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year. Summer begins on the Summer Solstice. The sun is high in the sky, giving lots of warmth and light. Crops continue to grow. 
Autumn Equinox
(Sept. 21)
After the Summer Solstice the days begin to get shorter. Each day the sun rises and sets slightly farther south than it did the day before. Crops grow well during the Summer quarter. Near the end of the Summer quarter is harvest time, the best time of the year. We harvest the crops and crush the grapes to make wine. The sun has done it's job providing us with life-giving food and wine. 
Three-quarters through the year we reach the Autumn Equinox (Sept. 22) when the sun again rises due east and sets due west. Day and night are again of equal length. This is the beginning of Autumn. The goodness of light and warmth begins to fail us. The badness of darkness begins to overcome the goodness of light. 
Winter Solstice
(Dec. 21 or 22)
During Autumn, the last quarter of the year, the sun dies. The days get shorter and shorter, and it gets colder and colder. Each day the sun rises and sets further south. Will the sun disappear forever? What will happen to us? Have no fear, have faith. Yes the sun will die, but the sun will soon be reborn. A new year will soon begin. This is the end of our story, and it is also the beginning. What happens after this? Go to the top of the page and read the story again. The story is circular—a new year begins immediately after the old year ends. A new year is born immediately after the old year dies. 
To top of page 

The Celestial Sphere
From our point of view the earth appears to be surrounded by a great celestial sphere upon which the fixed stars are attached. This celestial sphere slowly rotates upon its axis, making one complete revolution per day. During the night we see the stars affixed to this sphere slowly rise in the east, travel overhead, and set in the west. If we look northward we see the stars rotate around the north celestial axis. 
(If we are in the southern hemisphere we can look southward and watch the stars slowly circle around the southern celestial axis. The time lapse photograph at right shows the stars circling the southern celestial pole. The southern celestial pole can only be seen when you are located below the equator in the southern hemisphere. This photo was taken from Australia. (See larger photo with credits.]) 
Currently the star Polaris, also known as the North Star, is very close to the north celestial axis. If you can find the North Star you then know which way North is. More importantly, the angle between the horizon and the North Star tells you what latitude on earth you're at. This helps ships navigate the open ocean. 2000 years ago Polaris was not near the north celestial pole due to the Earth's Precession. 
Also present against the celestial sphere is the sun. In the picture of the celestial sphere model above the sun can be seen to the right of the earth and just slightly below the equator. The sun's position on the celestial sphere changes during the year, which is why the sun is on a swivel arm. We will talk more about the sun's annual journey around the celestial sphere later. 
Philosophers have pondered for eons about what this great celestial sphere was made of. It was apparently made of some heavenly material we could not fathom. There was also the unexplained problem of five wandering stars known as "planets." Eventually the concept was abandoned when scientists decided it was the earth that was rotating on it's axis instead of a great celestial sphere rotating around the earth. The Foucault Pendulum is a very simple yet profound demonstration of the earth's rotation. 
In 1633 the Catholic Church condemned Galileo for promoting a helocentric theory of the universe. They said, “The proposition that the sun is the centre of the world and does not move from its place is absurd and false philosophically and formally heretical, because it is expressly contrary to the Holy Scripture. The proposition that the earth is not the centre of the world and immovable, but that it moves, and also with a diurnal motion, is equally absurd and false philosophically, and theologically considered, at least erroneous in faith.” (See The Church Sentences Galileo.) 
Even though scientists have abandoned the Celestial Sphere theory, notwithstanding the objections of the Catholic Church, it is still convenient to use a celestial sphere as a map of where the stars and constellations are. 

The Book of Revelation
“The book known by the name of the Apocalypse, has seemed to be until now unintelligible, merely because people persisted to see in it a real prediction of the future, which every one has explained after his own fashion, and in which they have always found what they wanted, namely anything but that, what the book contained.”—Charles François Dupuis (1798)
The thing about the Book of Revelation is once you understand the key to deciphering it it's not very interesting. 
The Book of Revelation is just astronomy. It makes numerous references to various constellations in the night sky. 
It's all explained in Chapter XII of the rare book The Origin of All Religious Worship by Charles François Dupuis. (1798)[BL75 .D75213] The complete book is available offsite here. Chapter XII starts on page 408. 
Revelation 4:7 
And the first being was like a lion, and the second being like a calf, and the third being had the face of a man, and the fourth being was like a flying eagle. 
"It also represents the SUN going through the four cardinal constellations, which are Leo, Taurus, Aquarius and Scorpio. The cardinal constellations are also the four beasts in the Revelations of St. John the Divine. Rev 4:7 states: "The first beast was like a LION, and the second beast like a CALF, and the third beast had a face as a MAN, and the fourth beast was like a flying EAGLE." In astrology, Leo is a lion, Taurus is a bull/calf, Aquarius is a man pouring water and Scorpio has three symbols, one a scorpion, one an eagle and one a serpent." 
 — http://web.archive.org/web/20030214154545/http://www.knowledgefirst.org/freedom/jesus.htm 
Thus the Book of Revelation is merely referring to the four seasons of the year and predicting that these four seasons will repeat themselves in the future. 
(Also note: Ezekiel 1:10 — “Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a man, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle.") 
(See also Robert Taylor's Devil's Pulpit lecture #22 on Mat Thew) 
Revelation 4:10 
The four and twenty elders fall down before Him that sits on the throne, and worship Him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne. 
The 24 Elders represent the 24 hours of the day. —Astral Worship pg. 57 
 Revelation 12:1 
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. 
The Gnostic adherents to the ancient solar worship, or those who were conversant with the teachings of the Esoteric philosophy, knowing that the dramatis personæ of the fable of incarnation were pictured with stars upon the azure vault, recognized the woman "clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars," referred to in Revelations xii. 1, as the Virgo of the Zodiac; they also knew that she was the true queen of heaven and mother of God; and that the infant, anciently represented in her arms, and with whom, in their day, she arose on the Eastern horizon at midnight on the 24th of December, was the same of whom the people were taught to sing at Christmas "Unto us a child is born this day." —Astral Worship pg. 41 
The Gnostic adherents of the ancient solar worship, knowing that the drama of the incarnation was written in the stars, recognised the woman mentioned in Revelation 12:1 as Virgo of the zodiac. —Larry M. Wright Christianity, Astrology and Myth
Revelation 21:23, 22:5 
And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it; for the glory of God gave it light, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
And there shall be no night there, and they will need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light. And they shall reign for ever and ever. 
After the organization of a new heaven and a new earth it was taught that upon the latter would descend a beautiful city, with pearly gates and golden streets, called the City of God, the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Heaven or New Jerusalem, in which the host of the redeemed would, with their Lord and Saviour, enjoy the Millennium, or thousand years of happiness unalloyed with evil; and such was the Kingdom for the speedy coming of which the votaries of Astral worship were taught to pray in what is known as the Lord's Prayer. According to the teachings of the Allegories, there were to be no sun, moon or stars during the Millennium, their authors having arranged it so that the light of those luminaries would not be needed, as we find recorded in Rev. xxi. 23, and xxii. 5: "The city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it; for the glory of God did lighten it," and "there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither the light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light." It must be remembered, when reading the fanciful ideas relative to the City of God, that they were composed by men who, living in a very ignorant age, gave free rein to fervid imaginations. —Astral Worship pg. 78-79 
Revelation 22:18-21 
For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book: If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book. And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life and out of the Holy City, and from the things which are written in this book. He that testifieth these things saith, "Surely I come quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. 
"This ending was added by Erasmus, who wrote it himself in Switzerland, in the year 1516." 
— Bishop Marsh, vol. 1, page 320. [Quoted from Robert Taylor Syntagma, pg. 77] 
“There has neer been a time when the book of Revelation was not discarded by many persons competent to judge. The churches to which it was addressed, those in Asia, are the very ones who rejected it. It was not in the Bibles of the Eastern Christians for more than one thousand five hundred years, and was incorporated into those Bibles less than three centuries ago. Dionysius said that many of the early Christians denounced it as being without sense or reason, and as the forgery of Cerinthus. Dionysius himself did not believe it was written by John the Apostle; he did not know who did write it, although in another place he intimates that Cerinthus did so, and forged John's name to it.”
—Bronson C. Keeler A Short History of the Bible (Year: 1881) (References for the quote above are: Euseb., Eccl. Hist., vii. 25, iii. 23, iii 39.) 

Do Christians Worship the Sun?
Do Christians Worship the Sun? No, of course not, but their belief is not holy and it has a root in ancient Sun worship. Check it out. 
 The word Holy Bible derives from the Greek Words Helios Biblos. Helios means Sun and Biblos is derived from the ancient Egyptian word, papyrus, which means paper. "Holy Bible" means Sun Book (or compiled papers) and represents the knowledge of the "Children of the Sun" as recorded by the original inhabitants of Egypt. 
 The biblical Jesus, for the most part, is the SUN in the sky. The fiery SUN. John 3:19 "I am the Light of the world," Psalms 84:11 "the Lord God is a sun….," Deuteronomy 4:24 "God is a consuming fire," Mal. 4:2 "Sun of Righteousness," and John 12:46 "...a light into the world" are just a few examples. The 12 apostles of the biblical Jesus are the constellations. 
 People are not born from virgins. The Virgin birth is the SUN having its start (solar calendars) in the constellation of Virgo as it was in some areas of the world. (Virgo is Latin for virgin) The name Mary is symbolic to the names Auset-Meri (Isis) and Maya. Isis was the Virgin mother of the astrological Sun God Heru (Horus) of ancient Egypt. In Buddhist mythology, Maya was the name of the virgin mother of Siddhartha (the Buddha of 2,500 years ago). There are more astrological virgin mothers besides these three. In fact, there were over 10 "crucified saviors" before Jesus, because these are mythological and esoteric stories based on the SUN and it's movements. Virgo is the only female constellation, the celestial virgin. 
 One of the astrological signs of Virgo is  which looks like an M. Each astrological sign has at least two symbols. Virgo's other sign is a woman holding bread. (Bethlehem is Hebrew for "House of bread") It is said that Jesus was born in Bethlehem because Virgo, the astrological house of the "celestial virgin" shows a woman holding loaves of grain or bread. Hence, the SUN comes from (born from) a virgin (Virgo). This is also the foundation of the teaching that Jesus fed 5,000 people with loaves of bread and 2 fish. The bread and fish are VIRGO (woman holding bread) and PISCES (symbolized by two fish). 
 The resurrection of Lazarus is a plagiarized story taken from the Ausarian Resurrection of over 12,000 years ago, which was also based on the SUN. In the story, the God Ausar (Osirus) was killed by his brother, Set (origin of the word Satan). The son (Sun) of Ausar (Osirus), named Heru (Horus in Greek) avenged his father's death by fighting with Set. His father was resurrected from death. The European plagiarizers changed El-Ausar to Lazarus. Heru changed into Jesus, the son (SUN) of God. This original story (prototype for Constantine's bible) is published in detail in the BOOK OF THE DEAD. 
 Jesus the "son" dying for us is really the SUN dying for us. The SUN is giving its life to us continuously. The SUN burns itself and we utilize its energy in our lives. It gives and we receive. This is why it is said that Jesus gave his life for us. The crucifixion on a cross was not a true event. For more information on this, check out Christopher Knight's The Hiram Key: Pharaohs, Freemasons and the Discovery of the Secret Scrolls of Jesus. Also, the Holy Qur'an of the Muslims does not teach about Jesus dying on a cross. The Jehovah Witnesses also acknowledge that he did not die on a cross. In Deuteronomy 21, the bible speaks of a "son" being stoned to death and hung on a tree. Then in the New Testament book of Galatians, Chapter 3, Verse 13 speaks on those who have been hung on a tree. "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us : for it is written, Cursed is every one that HANGETH ON A TREE : " The bible continues to teach about his death on a tree in the First book of Peter, Chapter 2, where in verse 24 it states: "Who his own self bare our sins in his own BODY ON THE TREE, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness : by those whose stripes ye were healed." The cross represents the SUN passing through the Vernal Equinox (Easter/resurrection), Summer Solstice, Autumnal Equinox and Winter Solstice (Christmas/birth). The historical Jesus did not die on a cross. It also represents the SUN going through the four cardinal constellations, which are Leo, Taurus, Aquarius and Scorpio. The cardinal constellations are also the four beasts in the Revelations of St. John the Divine. Rev 4:7 states: "The first beast was like a LION, and the second beast like a CALF, and the third beast had a face as a MAN, and the fourth beast was like a flying EAGLE." In astrology, Leo is a lion, Taurus is a bull/calf, Aquarius is a man pouring water and Scorpio has three symbols, one a scorpion, one an eagle and one a serpent. These four cardinal signs are also the basis for Ezekiel's description of the four faces in Ezekiel 1:10 which also mentions a LION, MAN, OX and EAGLE. 
 The crown of thorns spoken about in Matthew 27:29 is the layer of the SUN called CORONA. Corona is Latin for crown, and in science, the outermost part of the SUN is called corona. The SUN wears a crown of thorns. This is why it is said that Jesus wore a crown of thorns. 
 Christmas is celebrated December 25th because that is when the Winter Solstice ends and the SUN begins to travel North again. Prior to the Winter Solstice, the SUN travels South and on December 22nd, (in the Northern Hemisphere) the SUN is farthest South of the equator, and for three days it stops moving South and on the 25th it moves Northward again. This is why it is said that God's son (SUN) was "born" on the 25th. The stable or manger that the biblical Jesus was born in is the constellation or house of Capricorn, which was once known as the "STABLE of Augeas." 
 The 12 tribes of Israel, 12 tribes of Ishmael and other biblical accounts of 12 are based on the heavens above and not necessarily actual events that took place. A large percentage of the bible is based on the SUN and the constellations. 
 The bible also says Jesus is the light of the world, he shall comes from the east and all eyes shall see him, along with other things which are describing the SUN in the sky, not the actual man. 
 The sun "dies" for three days on December 22nd, the winter solstice, when it stops in its movement south, to be born again or resurrected on December 25th, when it resumes its movement north. 
 In some areas, the calendar originally began in the constellation of Virgo, and the sun would therefore be "born of a Virgin." 
 The sun is the "Light of the World." 
 The sun "cometh on clouds, and every eye shall see him." 
 The sun rising in the morning is the "Savior of mankind." 
 The sun wears a corona, "crown of thorns" or halo. 
 The sun "walks on water." 
 The sun's "followers," "helpers" or "disciples" are the 12 months and the 12 signs of the zodiac or constellations, through which the sun must pass. 
 The sun at 12 noon is in the house or temple of the "Most High"; thus, "he" begins "his Father's work" at "age" 12. 
 The sun enters into each sign of the zodiac at 30°; hence, the "Sun of God" begins his ministry at "age" 30. 
 The sun is hung on a cross or "crucified," which represents its passing through the equinoxes, the vernal equinox being Easter, at which time it is then resurrected. 
 For more information on this controversial subject, one can study basic astrology/astronomy as well as books like African Origins of the Major "Western Religion" by Yosef A.A. ben Jocannan, Blacked Out Through Whitewash by Suzar, The Christ Conspiracy: The Greatest Story Ever Sold by Acharya S and/or The World's Sixteen Crucified Saviors: Christianity Before Christ by Kersey Graves.

 Sunset
 Sunset is the special time of day we can determine the sun's position relative to the stars. At sunset the sun dips below the horizon, the sky gradually gets dark, and the stars become visible. With the stars visible and the sun just below the horizon the position of the sun on the celestial sphere of stars becomes apparent. 
The other time of day we can determine where the sun is relative to the stars is just before sunrise. 
During the day the stars are still there, we just can't see them due to the bright blue sky. If the bright blue sky were to disappear, and the sun's brightness to dim a bit, we could see both the sun and the stars at the same time. 
During a total solar eclipse, when the moon moves directly in front of the sun blocking almost all of it's light, the sky becomes dark enough for us to see some of the brighter stars, again allowing us to see the position of the sun on the celestial sphere of stars. 

The Sun Travels Along the Ecliptic
In our previous lesson we showed how sunset is the time of day when we can determine the position of the sun relative to the stars (see previous lesson). Now let us observe how the position of the sun relative to the stars changes as the days go by. 
The animation at right shows how the sun's position changes day by day. (For this animation I have moved the sun slightly above the horizon but kept the sky dark so we can still see the stars.) Note how each day at sunset the constellation Capricorn (the goat) gets lower and lower until it is completely below the horizon. The sun appears to travel upwards along the green line through Capricorn towards Aquarius (the water bearer). The green line, representing the path the sun travels along, is known as the ecliptic. 
If I allowed the animation to continue past January 10 we would see the sun continue it's journey upwards along the green line through the constellation Aquarius. (The corresponding animation file would be too big for some to download, so I stopped at January 10. However, you may download and install a trial version of the program Starry Night Backyard which generated these images from http://www.starrynight.com/. The instructions tell you how to set the program so it will follow the sun's annual journey through the stars. 2006 Note: Starry Night Backyard has been retired. They have a similar program now.) 
If I allowed the animation to continue for the rest of the year we would observe the sun travel through all 12 constellations of the zodiac. These 12 constellations are: Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemeni, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, and Sagittarius. At the end of the year the sun completes its journey by arriving back at Capricorn where it started, ready to begin anew its annual journey through the 12 constellations. 
Note that the ecliptic is a closed circuit around the celestial sphere. (We shall encounter the word "circuit" again later on.) 
By observing which constellation the sun is in you can tell what time of year it is. This is important if you are a farmer. You need to know when to plant the crops and when to reap the harvest. You need to be familiar with the seasons of the year. This is why astronomy was always important in ancient civilizations. 
To the right we have a side view of the sun passing through the constellation Capricorn the goat. (In this side view I have switched to using icons to represent the Zodiac constellations.) Above the earth we have the visible night sky; below the earth we have the abyss of whatever is under the world that we can not see. Recall again that the sun rises in the East, and sets in the West. In this animation the sun is over there on the West side setting in the West. Note how each day at sunset Capricorn the goat gets lower and lower until it is completely below the horizon. The sun appears to travel through Capricorn as the days go by. On December 22 (the Winter Solstice) the sun is just starting to go through Capricorn. By January 10 the sun has made its way through most of Capricorn and we see that the zodiac constellation of Aquarius the water bearer is next in line. 
(The other members of the zodiac would form a circle around the earth in this animation. I'm not showing them all right now to keep things simple.) 
Compare this animation with the one above. 
(All dates are for “Biblical Times”, about 2000 years ago. In our present 21'st century you have to wait until January 18 to see what they saw on December 22 due to the earth’s precession. See Lesson on Earth's Precession). 

Where to start the year
 Since the year is circular, in that the four seasons of the year just cycle endlessly, it's somewhat arbitrary where we declare the start of the year to be. There are, however, a few natural places to start the year. 
One natural place to start the year is at the Winter Solstice (December 22). This is the day the Sun is lowest in the sky, making this the shortest day of the year. From this point on the Sun gets higher and higher in the sky each day, making each day longer and longer. 
Another often used place to start the year is at the Vernal Equinox (also called the Spring Equinox; March 21). On this day the Sun rises directly in the East, and day and night are of equal length. It's around here the harvest cycle begins. Time to plant some crops. The Astrology section of the newspaper always begins with Aries, Mar. 21, which is the Spring Equinox. 
The Jewish calendar begins with the month of Nisan, around mid-March to early April, a date hovering around the Vernal Equinox. The twelve months of the Jewish calendar are: 1)Nisan; 2)Iyyar; 3)Sivan; 4)Tammuz; 5)Ab; 6)Elul; 7)Tishri; 8)Cheshvan; 9)Kislev; 10)Tebeth; 11)Shebat; 12)Adar. This is a lunar calendar synced to the phases of the moon. A new moon begins a new month. The twelve lunar months total 354 days. To keep this calendar somewhat in sync with the solar year, a 13th "leap month" is occasionally added, called Adar II. 
To further confuse things, the Jewish New Year, "Rosh Hashana," is celebrated on the first of Tishri, the seventh month, sometime in September or early October, a date hovering around the Autumnal Equinox. 
The Gregorian Calendar we use today sets the start of the new year on January 1, ten days after the Winter Solstice. Here is the explanation how that came to be: 
"The 25th of December is the winter solstice by the Julian calendar. Julius Caesar adopted what is now known as the Julian solar year of three hundred and sixty five and one-quarter days. The three hundred and sixty five days were assigned to a year of twelve months, and the remaining quarter of a day was intercalated into every fourth year, known to us as 'the leap year'. Leap years are so called, because written in the 1604 edition of the Anglican prayer book was, 'On every fourth year, the Sunday Letter Leapeth'. Julius Caesar began his new solar calendar of Rome with January 1st in the year AUC 707 (45 BCE).1 Caesar did not commence the New Year on the winter solstice (22nd December), which he knew was the true beginning of the year. He wished to prevent disruption to the traditional, moon-regulated, commercial calendar as well as for the purpose of general convenience. Caesar adopted the rule of the moon and started the New Year by making it commence on the first new moon following the winter solstice. This happened to be ten days after the solstice and, hence, our 'New Year' is not the beginning of a new year at all. Consequently, we have at present three celebrations of the winter solstice or New Year. We have the astronomical or true New Year on the 22nd of December10; Christmas, the universal celebration of the rebirth of the sun—the resurrection of the Sun God; and, Julius Caesar's moon-fixed New Year, the 1st of January."2 
For our purposes we'll start the year at the Winter Solstice, December 22. Three days later, on December 25, the Sun rises 1/10 of its width further northward, just barely enough to be detectable by carefull observation. 
1. The Sun is born, or re-born, on December 25th. 
[Jesus is born on Christ-mas day, December 25th. Actually, knowledgable Christians will admit the tradition of celebrating Jesus' birth on December 25 was an attempt to place a Christian significance on a pagan holiday. Pope Julius (350 CE) assigned the birth of Jesus to December 25.3 Pagans of numerous solar religions celebrated the birth of their Sun God on December 25th. What Christians don't realize is how much more of their religion has been borrowed from pagan religions. Christians admit they don't know what day Jesus was born. They don't even know what year he was born. This just raises a lot more questions about how much they don't know.] 
________________________________________
[1] I checked this using Starry Night Backyard and indeed the new moon begins on January 1, 45 BCE. 
[2] Larry M. Wright Christianity, Astrology and Myth pg. 74 
[3] Ibid. pg. 75 

The Sun Enters Aquarius at "Age 30"
The constellations of the Zodiac are not all the same size, nor are they evenly spaced. Some of the constellations even overlap one another. It's somewhat arbitrary where to draw the line between one constellation and another. Part of this problem is alieviated by simply declaring that the divisions between the twelve constellations are evenly spaced. 
The zodiac is divided into twelve equal areas, with each area containing one zodiac constellation. Each area is known as a "house". So when the sun is in the constellation Capricorn, it may be said, "the sun is in the house of Capricorn." 
If we divide a circle into twelve equal parts, and place the twelve constellations of the zodiac in order around the circle, one in each part, we see that each constellation occupies 30 degrees of the circle. 
     Dec. 22 - Jan. 19    Capricorn (the goat, in the wedge marked 30°)
     Jan. 20 - Feb. 18    Aquarius (man pouring water from pitcher)
     Feb. 19 - Mar. 20    Pisces (the two fish)
     Mar. 21 - Apr. 19    Aries (a sheep, ram, or lamb)
     Apr. 20 - May 20    Taurus (the bull)
         (The Milky Way lies between Taurus and Gemini)
     May 21 - June 20    Gemini (the twins Castor & Pollux [see Acts 28:11])

     June 21 - July 22    Cancer (the crab)
     July 23 - Aug. 22    Leo (the lion)
     Aug. 23 - Sept. 22    Virgo (the virgin, holding a sheaf of wheat, or an ear of corn, or a fruit)
     Sept. 23 - Oct. 22    Libra (the scales)
     Oct. 23 - Nov. 21    Scorpio (the scorpion)
     Nov. 22    Sagittarius (the archer or hunter, depicted as a centaur, half man half horse)
The tradition of having 360 degrees in a circle probably comes from it being a nice convenient number very near the number of days in a year. 360 is a nice round number that can be evenly divided into 2 parts, or 4 parts, or 10 parts, or 12 parts, or 36 parts, or 72 parts—whatever you feel like, whereas the actual solar year of 365.2421934 days is not as easy a number to deal with. 
The sun travels about one degree each day. It's not exact, since there are actually 365.2421934 days in a solar year instead of 360. Also the earth's orbit isn't a perfect circle, it's slightly eliptical. The earth travels slightly faster during the winter months when it's slightly closer to the sun, and it travels slightly slower during the summer months when it's slightly farther from the sun. In general though, one degree equals about one day. (The seasons are primarily caused by the earth's tilt, not by it's varying distance from the sun. See Cause of the Seasons [offsite]) 
It's still ambiguous exactly when the sun leaves one house and enters another. The standard dates used by astrologers for the past two millenium (the ones given in the table above) correspond to a time somewhere in the range of around 600 B.C.E. to 1 C.E. Today, some 2000 years later, due to the Earth's precession the sun is in Sagittarius on Dec. 22, and you have to wait until around Jan. 18 before you can say the sun is in Capricorn. However, the tradition of having Capricorn cover the days from December 22 to January 19 still remains today. Have a look at any astrology or horoscope section of a newspaper (if your newspaper has such a section. No one today really believes in astrology, but some newspapers still have one just for the fun of it.) You'll see there listed the twelve constellations of the zodiac, covering the full year, with Capricorn beginning on December 22, the Winter Solstice. Though the winter solstice is a natural place to begin the year, you'll notice the astrology section always begins with Aries, March 21, which is the vernal equinox, another common place to begin the year. 
For our purposes it doesn't matter exactly what day the sun leaves one house and enters the next. It's the overall story line we are concerned about. We want to know the general sequence of events that occurs during the solar year. 
If we accept the old tradition of having the sun enter Capricorn on the Winter Solstice, a natural place to start the yearly cycle, then when the sun has traveled 30 degrees the sun exits Capricorn and enters Aquarius. Thus an allegorical story of the sun's annual travels could have the sun character visiting the Aquarius character at "Age 30" That's actually 30 degrees, or about 30 days, but an allegory could use 30 years instead. 
2. On the Winter Solstice the sun enters Capricorn. The Sun then passes through Capricorn, traveling 30 degrees in 30 days, to reach Aquarius at "age 30". Entering Aquarius is the first big event of the journey. 
Jesus is said to have begun his ministry at age 30 (Luke 3:23). Jesus begins his ministry by visiting John the Baptist (Aquarius), who baptises with water. 
3. The Sun's annual journey around the zodiac takes one year. 
Jesus' ministry is said to have lasted one year. [At least according to the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke). The Gospel of John implies Jesus' ministry lasted 3 years. The Gospel of John contradicts the Synoptic Gospels many times, which, by definition, is why it's not one of the "Synoptic" Gospels. Here we are concentrating on Jesus' mission as described in the Synoptic Gospels.] 

Outlining the Solar Myth - Aquarius
So far we have: 
1    The Sun is born, or re-born, on December 25th.    Jesus is born on December 25—Christmas Day.
2    On the Winter Solstice the sun enters Capricorn. The Sun then passes through Capricorn, traveling 30 degrees in 30 days, to reach Aquarius at "age 30". Entering Aquarius is the first big event of the journey.    Jesus begins his ministry at "about 30 years of age" by visiting John the Baptist, who baptizes with water.
3    The Sun's annual journey through the twelve houses of the zodiac takes one year.    Jesus' ministry is said to take one year (according to the Synoptic Gospels).
Aquarius is depicted by a man pouring out a pitcher of water. At left we have the illustration of what Aquarius is supposed to look like on the western horizon, if you have a very good imagination. It takes quite an imagination to see this in the stars. The idea of a man pouring out water has more to do with what is happening at that time of year. (See The constellations don't look like what they're named). 
The Sun enters Aquarius around Jan. 20. January is the rainy season. There is a lot of water everywhere. In January the days start to get longer and longer, as the Sun climbs higher and higher in the sky each day. The days also begin to get warmer and warmer, because the angle of the Sun's rays changes (see Cause of the Seasons [offsite]). The longer warmer days cause any snow that has accumulated in the higher mountains to melt, adding to the inundation of water. Rivers rise and may flood. This is the first step in the harvest cycle. We look forward to the promise of a good harvest later on in the year. 
4. The Sun visits Aquarius who immerses the land with water. 
Jesus starts his one year ministry by visiting John the Baptist who baptises with water (Matthew 3). 

Outlining the Solar Myth -
Theme of Temptation to be Lazy
Near the beginning of any long and difficult journey, such as the one the Sun has just embarked on, there is the temptation to be lazy. Why should the Sun embark on such a long and difficult journey? Why should the Sun bother to climb higher and higher in the sky each day, making the days longer and the dark nights shorter? We want the Sun to conquer the cold and darkness with longer warmer days. The Sun is tempted to be lazy. However, for our sake, the Sun will resist that temptation to give in to the forces of cold and darkess. The Sun has a mission to fulfill. The Sun must embark on its journey so that we may have a bountiful harvest and continue to live. 
The temptation to be lazy is a common theme we find expressed near the beginning of a solar myth. The Sun is tempted, but the Sun spurns the temptation. The Sun will not allow cold and darkness to reign. The Sun will continue on it's journey. 
5. The temptation to give in to the forces of darkness, 
6. and the resistance to that temptation. 
[Jesus, after starting his one year mission by visiting John the Baptist (Mat. 3), is tempted by the devil (Mat. 4:1-11)] but he rebukes the devil's offers (Mat. 4:4,7,10-11)] 

Aquarius goes below the horizon
After a month has passed the Sun leaves Aquarius and Aquarius goes below the horizon. We might say Aquarius has entered the underworld, or hades, or hell, or has been handed over. Since Aquarius is depicted by a man, we might figuratively say our character has been put in prison, since we won't be seeing Aquarius again at Sunset for quite awhile. 
7. The Sun leaves Aquarius. Aquarius is figuratively is put in prison. 
After Jesus visits John the Baptist who baptizes him with water, John the Baptist is put "in prison" (Mat. 4:12). 
[NOTE: The King James version reads, "Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;" (Mat. 4:12 [King James Version]) Actually a more literal translation reads, "And Jesus having heard that John was delivered up, did withdraw to Galilee," (Mat. 4:12 [Young's Literal Translation]) The single word παραδιδωμι, which the KJV version translates as "was cast into prison" means "to deliver up one to custody". The word "prison" is not found anywhere in the Strong's definition. (See Strong's #3860.) 
8. The Sun goes on it's way, leaving Aquarius behind. 
Jesus goes on his way. (Mat. 4:13-17) 
In the Jesus story after Jesus [the Sun], visits John the Baptist [Aquarius] the Bible says, “After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee,....” (Mark 1:14; Matthew 4:12; Luke 3:20; John 3:24). Suddenly John the Baptist is "put in prison", and Jesus just goes on his merry way! There is no further explanation in the Bible, which seems quite strange if John were a real person. We want to know why he was "put in prison." What crime was he accused of? Who threw him in prison? Was there a trial? Did Jesus attend the trial and speak on his behalf? No. Nothing more is said. Jesus just continues on his journey and appears unconcerned about John the Baptist. 
This is all very strange and hard to understand if interpreted as a story of real life events, but it all makes perfect sense when understood as an astronomical allegory. John the Baptist being put in prison is merely an allegory for the constellation Aquarius at sunset moving lower and lower until it is below the horizon at the end of the month and can no longer be seen. It is a natural phenomenon that requires no further explanation, and that is why there is no further explanation in the Bible. 
So Jesus [the Sun], continues on his way into "Galilee". The word "Galilee" literally means "circuit". The original Greek word is γαλιλαις {gal-il-ah'-yah} (Strong's Greek #1056. Click here to see the verse in Greek), which is a word of Hebrew origin לילג {gaw-lee-law'} (Strong's Hebrew #01551). A "circuit" is a closed, usually circular path. The ecliptic is the circuit the Sun travels along during the year. The ecliptic is a great circle inscribed on the celestial sphere. Jesus, a personification of the Sun, continues on his way along the ecliptic, or "Galilee". 

Pisces
After the Sun passes through Aquarius, the Sun enters Pisces, the two fish. There's a lot of water around, brought on by Aquarius, and there's no harvest yet, and not much good hunting, so this is a good time to go fishing. Hence the theme of fish and fishing. 
9. The Sun visits Pisces, the two fish. Theme of fishing. 
Reviewing the Jesus story vs. the solar mythology story, so far we have about the Sun: 
1.    The Sun is born, or re-born, on December 25th. 
2.    On the Winter Solstice the sun enters Capricorn. The Sun then passes through Capricorn, traveling 30 degrees in 30 days, to reach Aquarius at "age 30". Entering Aquarius is the first big event of the journey. 
3.    The Sun's annual journey takes one year. 
4.    The Sun visits Aquarius who immerses the land with water. 
5.    The temptation to give in to the forces of darkness, 
6.    the resistance to that temptation. 
7.    The Sun leaves Aquarius. Aquarius is figuratively is put in prison. 
8.    The Sun goes on it's way, leaving Aquarius behind. 
9.    The Sun visits Pisces, the two fish. Theme of fishing. 
So far we have about Jesus: 
1) Born on 25th of December, birthday of the sun. 
2) Starts his mission at "age 30" (Luke 3:23) 
3) Mission is said to take one year [Synoptic Gospels] 
4) Starts his mission by visiting John the Baptist (Mat. 3) 
5) Is then tempted by the devil (Mat. 4:1-11) 
6) resists the devil's offers (Mat. 4:4,7,10-11) 
7) John is put "in prison." (Mat. 4:12) 
8) Jesus goes on his way, leaving John behind. (Mat. 4:13-17) 
9) Jesus then visits Simon and Peter, two fishermen. (Mat. 4:18-22) 
(Note how Aquarius is now below the horizon. We won't be seeing Aquarius for awhile.)

Aries
After passing through Pisces, the Sun enters Aries, the ram, sheep, or lamb. The traditional date for this is the Vernal Equinox (or Spring Equinox), March 21. This is an important date, because this is when day and night are of equal length, and after this day the days are longer than the nights. The battle of warmth and light against cold and darkness has finally been won. 
Sin means a deviation from the way things ought to be. The sin of the Earth was that it was cold and dark during Autumn and Winter. We would prefer it to be warm and light. When the Sun reaches the lamb the sin of the earth is figuratively taken away, as that is when the warmth and light of Spring and Summer finally wins over the cold and darkness of Autumn and Winter. Thus figuratively the lamb is that which takes away the sin of the earth. 
It's common for solar religions to associate their savior with the zodiac symbol the Sun is in at the Vernal Equinox. Jesus is known as the "lamb of God." 
"The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29) 
"When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!" (John 1:36) 
Jesus is often depicted with a lamb.
10. The Sun visits Aries, a ram, sheep, or lamb, on the Vernal Equinox, when darkness and cold, the figurative sins of the earth, are overpowered by light and warmth. 
[Jesus is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the earth.] 
11. Easter, when we celebrate Jesus as risen from the grave, is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox. It is a Spring time celebration of the rebirth of the Sun and the Sun overpowering the cold and darkness of Winter. 

 Where was Jesus Born?     Volume 58 Number 6, November/December 2005  
By Aviram Oshri 
Theologians question biblical accounts of the Nativity. Now archaeologists are doing the same.
Many Christians accept the story of Jesus' birth in a manger in Bethlehem in Judea. But what if there was no Bethlehem in Judea at the time of Jesus' birth? (Scala/Art Resource) [LARGER IMAGE] 
The town of Bethlehem in the West Bank, some six miles south of Jerusalem, is revered by millions as the birthplace of Jesus. According to the New Testament account of the apostle Matthew, Joseph and Mary were living in Bethlehem in the southern region of Judea at the time of Jesus' birth and later moved to Nazareth in the northern Galilee region. In the more popular account of the apostle Luke, Joseph and a very pregnant Mary traveled more than 90 miles from their residence in Nazareth to Joseph's Judean hometown of Bethlehem to be counted in a Roman census. Regardless of the variation, both apostles agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, the city where King David had been born a thousand years earlier. The Christian Messiah could thereby be considered a descendant of the House of David--a requirement for followers of the Judeo-Christian tradition.
But while Luke and Matthew describe Bethlehem in Judea as the birthplace of Jesus, "Menorah," the vast database of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), describes Bethlehem as an "ancient site" with Iron Age material and the fourth-century Church of the Nativity and associated Byzantine and medieval buildings. But there is a complete absence of information for antiquities from the Herodian period--that is, from the time around the birth of Jesus.
I had never before questioned the assumption that Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea. But in the early 1990s, as an archaeologist working for the IAA, I was contracted to perform some salvage excavations around building and infrastructure projects in a small rural community in the Galilee. When I started work, some of the people who lived around the site told me how Jesus was really born there, not in the south. Intrigued, I researched the archaeological evidence for Bethlehem in Judea at the time of Jesus and found nothing. This was very surprising, as Herodian remains should be the first thing one should find. What was even more surprising is what archaeologists had already uncovered and what I was to discover over the next 11 years of excavation at the small rural site--Bethlehem of Galilee.
Aviram Oshri is a senior archaeologist with the Israel Antiquities Authority

The Days of the Week
We say the names of the days of the week constantly, bur for most of us they are nonsense syllables. The seven-day system we use is based on the ancient astrological notion that the seven celestial bodies (the sun, the moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn) revolving around stationary Earth influence what happens on it and that each of these celestial bodies controls the first hour of the day named after it. This system was brought into Hellenistic Egypt from Mesopotamia, where astrology had been practiced for millenniums and where seven had always been a propitious number. In A.D. 321 the Emperor Constantine the Great grafted this astrological system onto the Roman calendar, made the first day of this new week a day of rest and worship for all, and imposed the following sequence and names to the days of the week: 
Dies Solis    "Sun's Day"
Dies Lunae    "Moon's Day"
Dies Martis    "Mar's Day"
Dies Mercurii    "Mercury's Day"
Dies Jovis    "Jove's Day" or "Jupiter's Day"
Dies Veneris    "Venus's Day"
Dies Saturni    "Saturn's Day."
This new Roman system was adopted with modifications throughout most of western Europe: in the Germanic languages, such as Old English, the names of four of the Roman gods were converted into those of the corresponding Germanic gods. Therefore in Old English we have the following names (with their Modern English developments): 
Sunnandaeg    Sunday
Monandaeg    Monday
Tiwesdaeg    Tuesday (the god Tiu, like Mars, was a god of war)
Wodnesdaeg    Wednesday (the god Woden, like Mercury, was quick and eloquent)
Thunresdaeg    Thursday (the god Thunor in Old Norse Thorsdagr influenced the English form)
Frigedaeg    Friday (the goddess Frigg, like Venus, was the goddess of love)
Saeternesdaeg    Saturday
—From a Dictionary reference. 
Not only were the days of the week named after the sun, moon and planets, but also the hours. In Egypt, as in Babylon, the order for this purpose was Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, Venus, Mercury, and the Moon. [Note this order is from slowest moving to fastest moving.] This arrangement places the slower-moving bodies (with respect to the fixed stars) first. Each of the twenty-four hours was consecrated to one of the heavenly bodies. The first hour was assigned to Saturn, and it follows that the eighth, fifteenth, and twenty-second hours would also be Saturn's. The twenty-third hour would fall to Jupiter, the twenty-fourth hour to Mars, and the first hour of the second day would fall to the Sun. Thus, the first hour of the third day would fall to the Moon, that of the fourth day to Mars, that of the fifth day to Mercury, that of the sixth day to Jupiter, and the first hour of the seventh day to Venus (our Friday). The cycle was now completed, and the first hour of the eighth day would return to Saturn and the commencement of a new week. 
—Larry M. Wright Christianity, Astrology and Myth pg. 9 

Matthew, Chapter 2
LATE ORIGIN OF STORY
The earliest Christians, viz., the Ebionites, Nazarenes, Corinthians, &c., excluded as forgeries the two first chapters of Matthew, containing the miraculous conception and birth, declaring them to be spurious, and not to be found in the genuine copies of Matthew. Both Saint Jerome and Epiphanius allow that this is true.1 
The writer of that portion of the Gospel according to Matthew which treats of the place in which Jesus was born, states that he was born in a house. In Matthew 2:11 the Greek word is οικια. (Strong's Number [3614]) However, the writer of the Luke version implies that he was born in a stable (Luke 2:7). If these accounts were contained in these Gospels in the time of Eusebius, the first ecclesiastical historian, who flourished during the Council of Nice (A. D. 327), it is very strange that, in speaking of the birth of Jesus, he should have omitted even mentioning them, and should have given an altogether different version. He tells us that Jesus was neither born in a house, nor in a stable, but in a cave.2 [See Eusebius's Life of Constantine, lib. 3, chs xl, xli, and xlii.(on CD-R)] 
In Matthew 2:4 the Magi ask about "the Christ", referring to Christ Jesus. This again betrays the late origin of this chapter. Speaking of Jesus as "the Christ" is equivalent to speaking of Tacitus as "the Historian," or George Washington as "the General," or of any individual as "the Mister," without adding a name by which either could be distinguished. Therefore, it would have no sense or meaning, unless it was written after Christianity was already well established and the term "Christ" had already became exclusive to meaning Christ Jesus.3 
COMPARATIVE RELIGION: 
This story of the child who threatens the reign of a ruling monarch is a common motif found in many ancient religions. It is also found in the Old Testament with Moses as a baby being placed in a basket and sent down the river to avoid the mass slaughter of all the children. 
 King Herod (night) ordering the death of all the children (stars).
Darkness hears a child will be born that will overthrow him. Indeed when the Sun rises it will conquer the darkness. So darkness orders all the stars extinguished. Allegorically all the children of the land are to be killed. What better way to insure darkness rules than to murder all those little points of light. All the stars are killed, but the sun survives the slaughter and rises anyway, conquering the darkness. 
The Players
Jesus — The Sun. Comparative Religion shows that all the ancient religions were forms of sun worship. The story of Jesus is just another allegorical personification of the sun as will be shown here. 
Herod — Night; Darkness. We have seen in the lecture on Night how Darkness is the original evil. The ancient religious stories personified the evil Darkness and gave it names. In this case the name for Darkness is Herod. 
Darkness reigns supreme at night until overpowered by the rising sun in the morning. The sun rising in the morning is figuratively a form of the sun being born. Just before the sun rises all the stars disappear. Figuratively this is Darkness trying to save itself by killing all the stars. What better way to keep things dark than to kill all those little points of light. But Darkness fails to kill the sun. The sun rises, overpowering the Darkness, the darkness dies, and its reign is ended. 
There is no historical record of this mass infanticide slaughter ever actually happening or being ordered. It never really happened on Earth. Our whole story takes place in the starry night sky. Paul says, "For our conversation is in heaven [i.e. the stars above] from whence also we look for the Saviour [the Sun], the Lord Jesus Christ." (Philippians 3:20) 
The Three Magi or Wise Men — The three bright stars in the belt of Orion, which rise in the East just as the Sun sets in the West. These three stars travel across the sky at night and eventually set in the West at dawn. It's as if the stars were following the Sun, looking for it. 
Bethlehem — Literally "house of bread", referring to the zodiac house of Virgo the eternal celestial virgin. 
Star of Bethlehem — planet Venus, which is always seen near the sun. 
Joseph — the constellation Bootes, which is next to Virgo, the virgin. 
SYNOPSIS
Our story takes place every night after September 23, the Autumn Equinox, when the Sun moves out of Virgo the celestial virgin. After the Sun sets the three bright stars in the belt of Orion rise in the east, slightly south of due east. They travel across the sky during the night, towards where the sun set. They set slightly south of due west, near where the Sun set the evening before. 
During the last quarter of the year you will see this story repeated each night. On September 23 (the Autumn Equinox) these three bright stars rise in the east around 11PM. By December 1 these three stars rise in the east around 7PM, just around Sunset. This is probably the best time for this story, as the stars will travel all the way across the night sky and set in the west just before sunrise. 
here now is my annotated explanation of Matthew Chapter 2 — The birth of Jesus. (The rest of the Jesus Story can be similarly annotated, which I am working on. Indeed the rest of the Bible can be similarly annotated, which I am working on.) 
MATTHEW 2
THE VISIT OF THE MAGI
fter Jesus [the Sun] was born in Bethlehem [literally "house of bread". The zodiac house of Virgo. Thus "After the sun has moved out of Virgo"] in Judea during the time of King Herod [during the night], Magi from the east [the three stars in the belt of Orion which rise in the east] came to Jerusalem [the starry night sky] and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? [where is the Sun?] We saw his star [the Sun's "star" is the bright planet Venus, which is always seen near the Sun] when it rose in the east [the Sun and its star always rise in the east] and have come to worship him." [Since Jesus is a personification of the Sun this shows the whole religion was originally about Sun worship.] 
hen King Herod [night] heard this he was disturbed, [night is worried there is a Sun that will rise (be born) and conquer him.] and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ [the Sun] was to be born. [Note the use of the word "Christ" here to refer to Jesus. This betrays the late origin of the text.] "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: 
Following is a garbled quote of Micah 5:2 This is an attempt to tie this new story with the established Jewish stories, which are also astrological. However, the quote isn't exact, indicating the writer isn't familiar with the original Hebrew but is instead using a poor Greek translation of the original Hebrew. (Note that Judah is not the same as Judea.)] 
But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will be the shepherd of my people Israel."
Then Herod [night] called the Magi [astronomers] secretly and found out from them the exact time the star [Venus] had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem [the house of Virgo] and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child [see if the Sun is in Virgo]. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him." 
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was [the Sun rises in the east, and sets in the west]. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed [seeing the Sun is always nice]. On coming to the house [the zodiac house of Virgo], they saw the child [the Sun] with his mother Mary [Virgo], and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of frankincense and of myrrh. [Gold is bright and shiny like the Sun. The scent of frankincense when burned was considered by the ancient people to be evidence of God on Earth.] And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. [The three bright stars in the belt of Orion return to their starting point by setting in the west and going under the earth back to their starting point, thus returning by another route.] 
THE ESCAPE TO EGYPT 
When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. [Egypt is the underworld, below the horizon. Hence the Sun, along with the constellation Virgo (Mary) and Bootes (Joseph) sets at the end of the day and goes below the horizon.] Stay there until I tell you, for Herod [night] is going to search for the child [the Sun] to kill him." 
[Thus begins the common motif of a prophesied child (the Sun) who threatens the reign of a ruling monarch (darkness).] 
So he [the constellation Bootes (Joseph)] got up, took the child [the Sun] and his mother [Virgo (Mary)] during the night [this is when the story takes palace] and left for Egypt [went below the horizon], where he stayed until the death of Herod [Herod "dies" when the Sun rises in the east the next morning]. 
[The Sun sets, along with the constellations Bootes and Virgo, and it is night time. They all stay underneath the earth (Egypt) until sunrise, when the Darkness of Night (Herod) will die.] 
And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son." ["Out from under the world the Sun will rise." This is an attempt to tie this story with the established Jewish stories, which are also astrological.] 
When Herod [night] realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time [the time of Sunrise]he had learned from the Magi [the astronomers who watch the sky and know when the Sun will rise]. 
 [Darkness kills all the stars at Dawn, just before Sunrise, but fails to kill the Sun. The Sun rises, ending the reign of darkness of the night.] 
Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: [Jer. 31:15 Another attempt to tie this story with the established Jewish stories, which are also astrological.] 
"A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more."
THE RETURN TO NAZARETH 
After Herod [night] died, [night "dies" when the Sun rises in the morning. Thus "After the sun rose..."] an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt [below the horizon] and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel [above the horizon] for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead." So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 
[The Sun rises, along with Virgo and Bootes. The "land of Israel" is the hemisphere above us. "Egypt" is the hemisphere below us, below the earth, under the world, the underworld', where things go when they set in the west, and where things come from when they rise in the east.] 
But when he heard that Archelaus [Dawn] was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod [night], he was afraid to go there. [The constellations Virgo and Bootes don't show themselves during the day.] Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee [the ecliptic], and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene." [The word "Nazarene" is not to be found anywhere in the Old Testament, so it's not for certain how this fulfills any prophecy. Nazarite = "one separated". Nazareth = "the guarded one".] 
[THIS ENDS MATTHEW CHAPTER 2] 
THE CHRISTIAN CROSS
"Galilee" is literally "Circuit". i.e. a closed, usually circular path. The ecliptic is the circuit the Sun travels along during the year. The ecliptic is a great circle inscribed on the celestial sphere. The ecliptic is also a circle on a planisphere. The circle you often see in the center of the Cross, the symbol of Christianity, represents the ecliptic, the circular path of the Sun. The four posts of the Cross divide the year into the four seasons. The circle in the middle is the circuit the Sun makes during the year. A planisphere is a map of the starry night sky. A planisphere also doubles as a time of year calendar. On the planisphere along with the stars is drawn the ecliptic — the apparent path the Sun takes through the stars during the year. On the planisphere the ecliptic is close to a circle. You can divide the planisphere into the four seasons of the year by drawing a cross on it. Thus you end up with a cross with a circle in the middle. The Cross on top of Goleta Presbyterian Church has the traditional circle in the middle of it. 
Virgo the Virgin in the
House of Bread 
Virgo is the virgin that gives birth to the Sun each year when it passes out of her. She is the one who gives birth and yet remains always and forever a virgin. 
The Zodiac is divided into twelve "houses." Each "house" contains one of the twelve Zodiac constellations. The "house" containing Virgo is known as the house of bread, because it's the house the sun is in during harvest time. Virgo is always represented as holding a sheaf of wheat. 
Bethlehem is a word which can be found numerous times in the Old Testament. It is actually two Hebrew words, בית  לחם [Strongs Hebrew #01035] pronounced bayth leh'-khem — "bayth" is literally "house", and "leh'-khem" is literally "bread". Thus "Bethlehem" is literally "house of bread." Click here to hear the Hebrew pronunciation of "Bethlehem". Without knowing this one may be tempted to take out a map and search for a town called Bethlehem. However, one should actually be looking for a place known as the "House of Bread." This may seem trivial at first, but it actually is a great first step towards exposing the allegory. There has always been a place known as the "House of Bread," except it's not a place on Earth, it's a time of the year! It's a reference to harvest time! 
(It's also quite possible that at the alleged time of Jesus there was no town on earth known as Bethlehem.4 Alvin Boyd Kuhn wrote, "Indeed it could be affirmed that the ancient books would have proclaimed the Christ-birth as "occurring" in Bethlehem even if no such town had stood on the map; or rather they would have seen to it that a town appropriately located according to some semantic scheme would have been given the name of Bethlehem. (That the name of this particular town is to be accounted for in this way is indeed fairly probable, for this was the ancient religious custom.)"5) 
After harvest time the harvest cycle begins anew. It's time to begin the story of the harvest cycle again, starting with the Sun moving out of Virgo, the eternal virgin. Thus we have the virgin birth of Jesus at the beginning of the story. The story of Jesus is the story of the harvest cycle and the passage of the seasons of the year. 
________________________________________
[1] Christian Mythology Unveiled pg. 167 footnote. 
[2] Bible Myths and Their Parallels in Other Religions by T.W. Doane. (pg. 154) 
[3] (I'm still looking for the book I got this paragraph from. I've only got seven bookcases of books in my room to search through. :-) 
[4] Where was Jesus Born? Archaeology magazine’s article Volume 58 Number 6, November/December 2005 "There is surprisingly no archaeological evidence that ties Bethlehem in Judea to the period in which Jesus would have been born." [The likelihood is there was no settlement at this site at that time.] 
[5] Alvin Boyd Kuhn: "Yule and Noel: The Saga of Christmas" Page 54, chapter titled, "BETHLEHEM AND BETHANY", 1st paragraph. The entire book is online at: http://members.tripod.com/~pc93/yulenoel.htm