Astrology of Jesus and The Star of Bethlehem

In honor of Christmas 2018 and the birth of Jesus Christ, the following is a re-posting of a Stars Over Washington article originally published December 24, 2007 (with a few edits for clarity's sake) entitled,

A Speculative Birth Chart for Jesus: April 17, 06 BC:

If I have told you of earthly things, and ye believe me not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? John 3:12

Pictured here is the chart I use as the natal chart of Jesus of Nazareth, based on the date that Jupiter (royalty) arose as the Morning Star and was occulted by the Moon in Aries, sign of Israel and Palestine. Thanks to calendar changes being slightly off, we have "6 BC" instead of the year zero.

Since we know that Jesus was born during the reign of Herod the Great (is he on one level Jupiter in this chart being occulted by the Moon?), the year we call "6 BC" contained the rare occultation (Moon-Jupiter), "7 BC" is known to be when a Great Jupiter-Saturn conjunction occurred in compassionate Pisces--and since lambs are born in the Spring, not mid-winter--these are a few reasons why I use this chart. (There are other speculative charts for the birth of Jesus--see below after this re-post).

Moon and Jupiter conjoined at 12:08:22 pm in 9th house (Bethlehem) yet this Jupiter rising chart set for 5:01:21 am is the one I prefer with asteroid, Morya at MC (the Goal or Objective) and Morya having connection with death, and fate or destiny.

Plus, and as you see, there is a YOD pattern ('Finger of God': special task or purpose; crisis; crossroads--or a turning point from Old Testament to New Testament, old law to new) pointing toward the rising Moon, Ascendant (ASC = Jesus Himself if we accept this chart as His birth chart), and by extension, pointing to royal Jupiter as well.

But can modern day midpoint pictures possibly apply to an event from such ancient days?

Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto existed although not within people's consciousness, of course. Accordingly, our modern perspectives are naturally different--and time should bring insight, don't you think?

Click to enlarge the chart for a few scribbled notes, but I'll type in the midpoint pictures for the YOD (including royal Jupiter which certainly seems to apply to the situation.) The combo of Neptune-Pluto = unseen forces; the supernatural; other realms (Tyl):

Neptune-Pluto = Moon: supernatural experiences; strange states of soul experiences; anxiety about being appreciated (well-founded!);

Neptune-Pluto = ASC: surrounded by an air of mysticism (a halo?!); placed in a peculiar environment (what a major culture shock--from heaven to earth!);

Neptune-Pluto = Jupiter: religiousness; in love with life; the "Thank God" position; universal love; love of humanity (I'll say!); high degree of perception; a peace-loving disposition. Yes, yes, and yes.

Mercury trine Pluto creates a Grand Trine of sorts with the MC; Mercury-Pluto = powerful words that persuade; creating or demanding new perspectives...

Mercury-Pluto = MC: great perception of any situation; leadership (why King Herod was so worried--all cruel leaders should be); coping ability; keen powers of judgment; foresight.

Sun and Moon were in Balsamic phase of the prophet--a phase of partings and endings. His death was a sad parting, and He brought an end to the Age of Aries as well. People born during the Balsamic phase of the Moon (three days prior to a New Moon) are future-oriented folk who often arrive when something or someone is ending or can't carry on.

Progressive, futuristic, rebellious Uranus is in sacrificial Pisces, sign of the Mystic, and love-filled Venus is also in Pisces, sign of her exaltation (universal love.) Jesus certainly disrupted things but from motives of pure Love, the Foundation of the Universe.

The birth of Christ marked the beginning of the Age of Pisces, sign of the Fish and the secret symbol of Christianity in Roman times (still widely in use today) as the Age of Aries, the Ram, symbol of Israel and Palestine, passed away--Old Testament times into the New Testament era. On one level, His birth, life, and crucifixion on Earth symbolize death of the ego so that Man can be liberated and born again in Spirit (if he so chooses.)

The Magi, Persian astronomers/astrologers (probably from Babylonia), shared the Aramaic language with the Jews and so they knew of the Prophecy of the Messiah and would have been well able to predict His birth in time to make the journey to the Land of Judah while following The Star of Bethlehem.

Yes, The Star of Bethlehem has been thought by many to be the triple conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn during the year 7 BC: exact in May, September, and October. These occurred in Pisces, and it is my belief that The Magi realized the significance of this Great Conjunction in Pisces--a King of Kings to be born in the East--and made their preparations for the journey to find the Babe...to honor Him with gifts of gold (for a king), frankincense (for divinity), and myrrh (for death and healing.)

The unusual occurrence of Jupiter as Morning Star in Aries being occulted by the Moon--in April (Spring, when lambs are born, not December 25, a date chosen by the Catholic Church in Rome to coincide with the pagan Saturnalia festival (and thus bringing goddess worship into the fold bwo the church's elevation of Mary) is quite possibly The Star followed by the Magi.

My own thought is that the Great Jupiter-Saturn Conjunction/s may have been The Star itself, with the Moon-Jupiter-Morning Star phenomena as a timing device for the birth of the Prince of Peace.

Jupiter and Saturn: Faith and Reality

Jupiter represents the generous side of God (His staff), while Saturn represents God's disciplinarian side (His rod.) On one level, we may relate "Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me..." in The Lord's Prayer directly to the natural law of Jupiter (expansion) and Saturn (restriction) being the fly-wheel of the Universe for the tension between them keeps the planets in their courses. Yin-yang, positive-negative, dark-light, the dualism of our world...the balance between planets Jupiter and Saturn are a constant comfort to me and I hope to you as well! As the children's song says, "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands"!

Well, it's always a treat to give earthly halls of power--politics--the slip as I contemplate the heavenly things of true value, in a word, Eternity and Eternal Life. So instead of posting to Stars Over Washington today about tiresome Politics as usual, I assert here that Stars are all around us, and The Star of Bethlehem, still shining brightly through the centuries, may lead us yet to the golden stardust within each of us, and to greater truths than those generally found lurking about the halls of our nation's capital, built upon Saturnian Capitol Hill. jc #

Well, that's what I wrote and published on December 24, 2007. Tonight is December 23, 2018 and I shall add other data to our speculation concerning the Birth of Jesus of Nazareth including data from the book by coin collector and astronomer Michael Molnar, The Star of Bethlehem: The Legacy of The Magi with details on how The Star has been studied through the centuries by Kepler and others, and how he, a Rutgers astronomer, became interested in using astrological data because of images on an ancient Roman coin he purchased for $50 which depicted a ram (Aries, symbol of Judea) "looking back at the star." Well, since The Magi, aka, "The Three Wise Men" were Eastern astrologers, I agree with the significance of the coin's symbols and the value of Astrology in the matter! Yet I don't remember where I found the data to calculate the horoscope shown above, but Mr. Molnar and I agree that the chart very well could be accurate with royal Jupiter rising and occulted by the Moon in Aries.

Various Speculative Horoscopes for Jesus of Nazareth

There are multiple versions of a Natal Chart for Jesus of Nazareth based on a variety of dates, historical facts, and cosmic conditions. One horoscope championed by astrologer Christine Arens is set for May 29, 007 BC 5:36 am LMT Bethlehem> Bayt Lah. Rising is 14Gemini23 with Sun rising @4Gemini14 and Moon 4Gemini31, a New Moon in Gemini, sign of 'the Good News'. Gemini rising makes the sign's ruler, Mercury, chart-ruler and Mercury (planet of youth and children) is at a critical-crisis 29th degree--of Gemini, followed by Venus @6Cancer29 (these two are the 'shekinah planets': the dwelling or divine presence of God on Earth). And astrological Venus in Moon-ruled Cancer denotes deep seated feelings of love!

Through the years, comets, or the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn have been proposed to be The Star of Bethlehem followed by The Magi. Well, conjoined @20Pisces are Saturn and Jupiter in its traditional ruler-ship of Pisces, sign of the Two Fishes, one swimming up to the heights, one swimming down to the depths which echoes the basic choice we each have in life for it symbolizes good vs evil, light vs dark, and the path we have the free will to choose. For believers, the Words of Jesus (who was The Word! Our Universe began with sound waves that some call 'The Big Bang') while He lived on Earth were of a critical-crisis nature and His birth Was the Good News! So if you wish, read about the intriguing research based on Scripture and Astrology by Christine Arens who asks, Was Jesus a Gemini?

Now of course, until the discovery of Uranus in 1781, Saturn was the outermost planet in our Solar System, 7 total, and some traditional astrologers do not use Uranus, Neptune, or Pluto in their horoscopes. Fortunately, I am not one of them and consider the three more recently discovered planets to add much to the analyses of Historical Horoscopes (naturally they existed on an unconscious level during the particular era in question).

Therefore, the dynamic T-Square in the May 29, 007 BC chart seems of interest since it is formed by the opposition of Uranus and Pluto which both square the Gemini New Moon. Squares (90 degrees) represent blockages or obstacles and I shall add here a note about the lucid dream I had years ago involving Astrology when upon waking an angel said to me that, "squares form due to essential quests." Well, if this is true, Baby Jesus, as symbolized by the Gemini New Moon (when solar consciousness and lunar unconsciousness blend perfectly together), was facing a life of serious difficulties, as believers know came to pass. For the Uranus-Pluto pair in Astrology signify potentials for "revolution, the process of transformation, and the collapse of the old order, construction of the new" (R. Ebertin). Yes, New Testament times and a Bringer of the New Law had arrived!

Now another set of data for the Birth of Jesus of Nazareth was shared with me in a comment concerning my original post, re-published above. It was from 'Michael' who asserted that another natal chart is the correct one for it is "perfect". The date is August 21, 007 BC noon LMT Bethlehem> Bayt Lah. Here is a list of the planets' positions in the chart for, as Michael points out, each planet is in its sign of ruler-ship except for one and this certainly creates a rare horoscope:

Ascendant 18Scorpio21; Midheaven ("MC' = Aspiration; Goal) 24Leo42; Sun 25Leo10, Moon 2Cancer48, Mercury 6Virgo48, Venus 11Libra40, Mars 3Scorpio37, and Jupiter 22Pisces36 Rx. Saturn, associated with ancient lands such as Judea and Palestine, is also in mystical Pisces (rather than in signs it rules, Capricorn or Aquarius) and yet here Saturn is ruled by The Great Benefic Jupiter, although their conjunction has a wider orb: 22:36 and 20:32.

Plus, the orb of the Uranus-Pluto opposition is wider than in the Gemini New Moon chart although both are in the same signs across the victim-savior axis: Uranus Rx @4Pisces and Pluto @9Virgo so no T-Square is formed in the "perfect" chart because Sun is in royal Leo and Moon in nurturing Cancer. Yet it is a blend with a deep sense of integrity.

We should also note that the planet of The Divine Source, Neptune, is posited @2Scorpio and conjoins the South Node of the Moon, a karmic point. Actually, the Neptune-SN conjunction is quite descriptive for it signifies the ability to 'sidestep the folly of the masses through superior wisdom' and suffering loss via 'intrigue or unfortunate circumstances' such as betrayal or theft (Sakoian-Acker). Well, yes. Note that otherworldly Neptune also conjoins warrior planet Mars in Scorpio (sign of betrayal in and of itself, plus, the occult, and the scarab beetle of Egypt). This conjunction tends toward a strong amount of psychic magnetism, an air of mystery, the use of occult power, great healing ability, and lofty spiritual attainment.

Now the last data in my files for a speculative Natal Horoscope for Jesus of Nazareth comes from another book, this one by Adrian Gilbert: Signs in the Sky: The Astrological and Archaeological Evidence For The Birth of a New Age. Perhaps you're familiar with Mr. Gilbert's work from his other books, TV appearances, or videos. Here's a link to his video Signs in the Sky Part One: Egypt (31 mins) but also check out Part Two: Israel in which he and fellow seekers view the prophetic planetary alignment of June 29, 2000 foretold in Scripture as "the seven candlesticks" (7 planets) with constellation Orion, archetype of Christ (the Alpha and Omega), standing amid them, hand outstretched (toward the Sun at His Ascension) in the 'stargate' or "shaking hands" position (horoscope shown below). These days, Orion rises over the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.

Based on Gilbert's extensive research across Egypt and the Holy Land, he proposes a date for the royal Birth of Jesus of July 29, 007 BC when the Sun @2Leo33 rose with royal Regulus, the king star, and this relates to the first appearance at dawn of starry Sirius "which had always been the start of the Egyptian calendar." (You'll remember that during his earthly life, Jesus and his family spent time in Egypt.)

So if such topics interest you, I highly recommend Signs in the Sky in which you'll find dates for other life events of Jesus of Nazareth which are listed as "stellar signatures": His Crucifixion (April 15, AD 29--I use 6:00 pm LMT), Resurrection (April 17, AD 29), and Ascension (May 27, AD 29) along with other dates for events in the life of Jesus. And you may be assured that these dates are not just pulled out of a hat, for Adrian Gilbert explains to you exactly how he arrived at them and can do it much better than yours truly!

Now let's close with the "Orion and the Seven Candlesticks" Horoscope of June 29, 2000, near Summer Solstice 2000, which, you may agree, occurred as a herald of our 'New Millennium' troubles when powerful earth changes began in earnest (as foretold) and when "the opening of the Orion star gate" occurred implying a period of chaos (Uranian Trump the 'chaos president'??) to be followed by a spiritual Great Awakening:

Please enlarge the image to read my (messy) study notes and perhaps later on I may add some text to go with the June 29, 2000 Horoscope but for now, my 'blogging break' must end and holiday preparations for out-of-town guests shall begin!

A Grateful Shout-Out goes to a certain astronomer at The Lowell Observatory (famous for the 1930 discovery of Pluto) whose interest in my 2007 post on 'A Speculative Birth Chart for Jesus April 17, 006 BC' inspired both this updated post with additional data and my purchase of Michael Molnar's intriguing book.