Astrology | San Diego

I came across a video of a young pastor evangelising at one of Toronto’s street corners. As I viewed his ‘died-for-your-sins’ stand-up, which turned to attacking horoscopes, astrology and such, I was amazed as to the level of ignorance that stubbornly prevails, even in this age of high speed internet, where knowledge is usually only a few clicks away.

...in the expanse of the sky
"...and God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the Earth." And it was so." (Gen. 1:14-15). This explicit astrological reference in the Old Testament is generally acknowledged as an exhortation to read the skies in order to mark the passage of time and delineate the seasons. The Book of Ecclesiastes whose authorship is traditionally attributed to King Solomon could not have been more plain in describing the overarching influences of astrology over human life and humanity: "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace." (Eccl. 3:1-8)

As with the old so with the new
The New Testament (Gospel of Matthew) narrates how the three Chaldean wise men learned about the birth of the infant Jesus and set out to track down the new born King of the Jews, upon whom to shower gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The magi are believed to have been very skillful Persian astrologer-kings who using their only real source of information, the movement of the planets and stars traversing the vast expanse of Eastern skies, were able to not just pinpoint the time of birth but to accurately calculate Jesus’ birth place as they set out to locate him in the little town of Bethlehem. Thus, rather than literally following “the star” this is an actual reference to the magi’s application of astrological knowledge in observing the constellations and celestial bodies so as to extrapolate their significance to earthly events taking shape. Evidently, it does not take a Bible scholar to observe that the Bible is full of astrological references - all that is required is the ability to read and understand the written word and some very rudimentary knowledge of astrology.

Christians who blindly believe that astrology is evil or satanic or is somehow mixed up with the occult simply because the “Church” or the Bible says so, need to take a good hard look at the Good Book. It may surprise them to learn that of the numerous astrological references some of the choicest are attributed to no less a luminary than Jesus Christ himself, indeed revealing his deft proficiency in astrology, as in the verse where Jesus reveals the "signs" of his coming: "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the Earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the Earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." (Luke 21:25-27)
That astrology was widely accepted and openly practised in Biblical times is historical fact. Indeed the Biblical references to astrology are so numerous as to merit at least an entire section later in this article.

The Age of Pisces is dominated by fish symbology and the fish sign carries special significance having been the recognised sign of Christianity.

History and Historical Fate of Astrology
Man’s fascination with the skies, and hence the birth of astrology predates written history and certainly predates the Christian era by many thousands of years. Although no one quite knows exactly how or when the practice of astrology got its start, evidence of it is to be found across the globe with archeologists having uncovered artifacts from as early as 15,000 BC that show that our Mesolithic ancestors were well aware of the lunar phases which they carved out in bone!
While star charts have been discovered in Egypt going as far back as 4200 BCE history credits the earliest advances in developing a sophisticated astrological system to the Babylonians (2350 BCE) who are also believed to have originated the Signs of the tropical Zodiac (western). The exploits of Alexander the Great created the conditions (post 323 BCE) for these ancient systems to merge with the Greek astro tradition and culture which spread throughout Mesopotamia and the Roman Empire. As well, other ancient forms of astrology had made their appearance among some major Eastern cultures more or less simultaneously, including in India, Tibet and China. The sophisticated Mayan and the Aztec astronomical-astrological systems came to us through another parallel though unconnected track in Central and South America.

A fundamental principle that is universally accepted in astrology regards the individual, the Earth, and its environment as one single organism seamlessly integrated within the cosmos, wherein every part of the whole is correlated with every other part. Hence the belief that cycles of change and evolution observed in the cosmos are the reflection, rather than the cause of similar evolutionary cycles of change unfolding on earth and within the individual. This relationship and the symmetry between the individual - the microcosm, and the universe - the macrocosm, are succinctly summed up in the Hermetic expression "as above, so below; as below, so above".Modern Western astrology which has its roots in Ptolemaic, Hellenistic and Babylonian traditions is broadly speaking, a system of divination based on constructing the horoscope for the precise moment, of a person's birth, for instance, and determining the impact of the influences that various celestial bodies are believed to exert. The relative positions of the Sun, Moon and planets are analysed by their movement through signs of the zodiac (spatial divisions of the ecliptic) and by their aspects (angles) relative to one another, as well as by their placement in houses (spatial divisions of the sky). Western astrology as reduced to the tabloid variety “sun sign astrology”, only looks at an individual's date of birth (‘position of the Sun’ on that date), lumping everyone born on a certain date together.In contrast, the origins of Indian Vedic astrology (Jyotish in Sanskrit) can be traced back at least four thousand years, with the first references to astrology contained in the ancient comprehensive texts of the Vedas (hence the name Vedic astrology), which has ensured the creation of a robust body of practices and techniques to support a highly precise predictive astrological system.
Through the long passage of history astrology has encountered varying degrees of acceptance and popularity both among the ruling classes as well as the general population. Initially, astrology’s main purpose was for so-called Mundane or Political astrology with many of the astrologers and astronomers being attached to royal courts, and therefore expected to apply their craft towards securing the interest and welfare of the rulers, the kingdom, and managing local conditions or events. The notion of casting natal charts for common individuals did not gain currency until about 300 CE; the ensuing 1500 years swept astrology along over alternating currents of waxing and waning popularity. The publication in 140 CE of the first major authoritative manuscript on astrology, by Greek astrologer-astronomer Ptolemy of Alexandria, made astrology accessible to many more people in Europe where it had gained a strong following in the Catholic Church by 410 CE. Its eventual fall from grace was brought about largely by St. Augustine’s scathing arguments against it.From as far back as the 10th century CE through to the 18th century including during the Enlightenment, astrology and Christianity coexisted throughout Europe, sharing the status of being the predominant philosophies of the time. During the 10th century Greek astrology made inroads into Britain along with the introduction of the Latin translated works of the Greek philosophers (Boethius, Averroes, Plato, Aristotle, Herodotus); with learning being under the Church’s purview during the Medieval period, Britain’s monasteries represented the primary source of education for young boys at the time. The country thus produced many priests who studied and practised astrology, for good reason, including academic necessity. Essentially, preparing for the priesthood by working towards a theology degree at university required the study of the seven liberal arts that were divided into two components, the trivium and the quadrivium, wherein one of the subjects was astronomy, often called astrology which covered both branches. Moreover, while the study of astronomy necessarily included the study of astrology, studying philosophy included medical astrology.

Indeed it is acknowledged fact that modern medicine has its roots in medical astrology, developed as an ancient medical system that associated various parts of the body, diseases and medicines with the Sun, Moon, planets, and the twelve astrological signs and therefore characterised as being prone to their influences.

The father of medicine, Greek physician Hippocrates, required his students to study astrology, saying, "He who does not understand astrology is not a doctor but a fool". Similarly, based on the planetary influences on many herbal plants a codification system of plant properties was developed and used in the preparation of specific medicinal mixtures to treat various diseases. St. Augustine, an early Catholic theologian who had been a student and proponent of astrology in his youth, eventually denounced it in his Civitate Dei (City of God), evidently because of his inability to come to terms with various phenomena that appeared inconsistent with his understanding of the underlying astrological significations. For example, he couldn’t reconcile how twins who were conceived at the same moment and shared roughly the same birth time could end up leading very different lives; or, that a large number of people with widely differing dates and times of birth who should therefore have had very different horoscopes could all share the same fate, dying together in the same battlefield on the same day. Coming at a time of decreasing literacy in the Europe of the Middle Ages, his arguments were enough to sway the Church into condemning astrology in the 3rd-4th century, thereby leading to its overall decline in Europe and generally in the West, a state to which it remained relegated for approximately an entire millennium.

Gospel Truth or Fiction:
Bible Misinterpretations, Contradictions
The astrological references incorporated throughout the text of the Bible are far too numerous (Revelation is filled with Astrological symbolism) for the argument that the Bible forbids astrology to stand up to serious challenge. On the contrary, the text clearly indicates that astrology was very much an accepted and prominent part of life for the ancient Israelites. As proof of the Bible proscribing astrology, naysayers tend to quote misinterpreted verses like Isaiah 47:13-15 which appear to mention certain approaches to astrology/astrological practices. However the apt interpretation of the intent of these verses would be to warn that though the astrologer may foresee forthcoming dark events, astrology may not be used to attempt to thwart God's justice for previous transgressions.A major hurdle for naysayers is that the entire Bible is open to interpretation and misinterpretation with the latter often times used as a manipulative tool to support Church doctrine. That being said, the Bible apparently contains several passages seemingly advocating contradictory positions on astrology. As a point of fact, the contradictions and differences do not end there. After much painstaking work spanning the last few centuries and upon examining thousands of manuscripts of various versions, Bible scholars have reached the conclusion that there are more differences and variations than there are words in the New Testament. And herein lies the crux of the problem for anyone trying to support their objection against astrology by quoting from the Bible based on the claim that Bible presents the inerrantly “inspired words of God”.In actual fact no one can tell what the actual words of God really were because the original books of the New Testament which were accounts as reported by the Apostles and originally written in Aramaic, are forever lost. The copies of the Bible in circulation today are mass printed versions of a translated copy of a Greek translation of one of the thousands of early manuscripts that prior to the printing press, had been reproduced by being hand copied by scribes for almost fifteen hundred years.In his book Misquoting Jesus (2006), well known Bible scholar Bart Ehrman says that when he first began to study the Bible texts in their original languages he was startled to discover the multitude of involuntary mistakes and intentional modifications that were made by ancient translators and/or scribes who were influenced by the cultural, theological, and political currents of the day. All of these changes, accidental or intentional, significantly affected all subsequent versions of the Bible. Ehrman found that all four Gospels are somewhat different from each other with the last written Gospel of John, being markedly different from the other three: “in this Gospel, Jesus isn't born in Bethlehem, he doesn't tell any parables, he never casts out a demon, there's no last supper. The crucifixion stories are different -- in Mark, Jesus is terrified on the cross; in John, he's perfectly composed. Key dates are different. The resurrection stories are different.” He also casts doubt on a number of episodes considered by most Christians to be “gospel truth”, including the oft repeated story about the crowd preparing to stone the adulterous woman to death, wherein Jesus says, let the one without sin cast the first stone. Ehrman, confirming what other scholars have concluded, says the episode is most likely fiction, added on by scribes centuries after Christ. Similarly, he says the last 12 verses of the Gospel of Mark -- the only verses recounting Christ’s reappearance after his death, as well as, the critical passage in 1 John, explicitly setting out the Holy Trinity (the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit), both appear to have been added years later.In light of these findings, and given the preponderance of astrological symbolism and supportive references in the Bible, it may be argued that the text segments claimed to be allegedly proscribing astrology could possibly also have been subsequent additions or subject to some alteration by scribes.

Astrology a Science
Flying in the face of the contention in the West that astrology is unscientific or not a science is the remarkable fact that throughout its history, astrology has attracted some of the most brilliant scientific and medical innovators, mathematically gifted and technically evolved individuals, formidable thinkers and philosophers - Aristotle, Hippocrates, Ptolemy, Copernicus, Galileo, Giordano Bruno, to name but a few. One of modern western astrology’s founders Claudius Ptolemy (2nd century CE) was a Greek mathematician, astrologer, astronomer, geographer, and musician, amongst whose major achievements include various authoritative tomes (eg Almagest), precise astronomical calculations for planetary movements, and geometrical refinements made to the fundamental Earth-Sun system used to design astrolabes.The Ptolemaic model of an Earth-centred universe where all astronomical objects maintained circular orbits moving at constant speeds remained the keystone of astronomy for 1,500 years proving to be one of the longest held scientific theories of all time until it was disproven by Copernicus. Ptolemy is also credited with the rather sage reflection on astrology, that "the stars incline, but they do not compel". Polish astronomer-astrologer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) was the first to postulate the revolutionary cosmological concept of heliocentrism (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Bodies) that put the sun at the centre of the universe, with the earth revolving around the sun while also rotating daily around its polar axis. His theory was roundly debunked by scientists at the time but readily embraced by astrologers who contributed to his findings being gradually accepted despite being considered contradictory to the scriptures and in 1616 being judged heretical by the Church, who remained stubbornly attached to the Aristotelian-Ptolemaic geocentric view of the cosmos long after modern science had produced irrefutable evidence otherwise. At age 46, Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), Italian astronomer, physicist, and yes astrologer, built his first telescope little realising how it would forever change his life. The telescope enabled him to observe Jupiter's four moons (aka Galilean moons) orbiting around it, the phases of Venus, and make other discoveries which further developed and expanded upon the Copernican theory of heliocentrism. First denounced by the Roman Catholic Church in 1615, Galileo was forced to recant his beliefs regarding a heliocentric universe and promise never again to teach this theory as fact; he thus managed to evade the Church’s ire for almost two decades. However in 1632, Galileo published his 2nd book, a 12-year opus written at the request of Pope Urbano VIII, entitled “Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems- Ptolemaic & Copernican” that presented all the pros and cons related to the two major cosmological systems: Copernican (sun centred) and Aristotelian-Ptolemaic (earth centred). This work was promptly confiscated and banned by the Roman Curia (his works remained on the Church's Index of Prohibited Books until 1835), subsequently providing the grounds at Galileo's second trial for his condemnation to a lifetime under house arrest in 1633. Convicted of breaking his agreement to refrain from teaching the Copernican theory and at pain of being burned at the stake for heresy, he had been ordered by the Church to abjure.The Holy Tribunal declared: “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.”Although Galileo was rehabilitated by the Church in 1757 after it had accepted the Copernican theories, he was made to languish 350 long years after his death before being officially pardoned. In 1979 Pope John Paul II requested the Pontifical Academy of Sciences to conduct a review of the church's case against Galileo. Only after the report from the commission of scholars had been presented to the Pope on October 31, 1992 did the Roman Catholic Church finally expunge its verdict of heresy against him. Pope John Paul II reportedly declared, “...Galileo suffered unjustly at the hands of the Church" and praised Galileo's religiousness and his views and behaviours regarding the relationship between science and religion. These few examples serve as a cautionary tale of how historically, the Church has not only always been out of synch with progressive thinking, be it new developments in science, philosophy or in any other genre, but also unable or unwilling to understand and make the needed separation between science and philosophy.

The Church’s stoic historical attachment to Aristotelian traditions in science was erroneously interpreted to mean that admitting Aristotle was wrong would necessarily imply that the Church and all Christianity had also been wrong! Thus the desire to safeguard its power and influence at all costs largely explains its traditional methods of choice - ruthlessly stamping out dissent and relentlessly persecuting those who would challenge or pose a threat to the Church’s moral authority as Keeper of the Faith.

Christianity - Paganism - Astrology
As to the Church’s objection on the grounds of astrology being a pagan practice, although the genesis of religious thought and practice is a complex topic requiring many diverging/converging branches of further study that is beyond the scope of this writing, a brief overview of this aspect is essential insofar as it sheds light on the common pagan roots of both religion and astrology while highlighting some of the shared/borrowed mythology, symbology and practices between Paganism and Christianity. In many respects, astrology and religion share a common genesis, birthed from the same “womb” so to speak: man’s necessity born out of the instinct of self-preservation, to devise a comprehensive system with which to better understand the how's and why's' of events unfolding in nature; to determine patterns that could help prepare for these natural phenomena and where possible to control or manage their impacts; and eventually, to design practices that could perhaps minimise the frequency of their occurrence if not prevent them altogether. So it was that early man concerned with survival and the practical problems associated with hunting, gathering or growing food, began to look heavenwards for early warning signs of impending gloom and disaster, and over time began to observe and document the movements of the Sun, stars and the planets in the sky, eventually making the connection between celestial cycles and natural phenomena like night/day and seasons. Thus began the early study of astronomy-astrology which were considered indistinguishable.
Concurrently, these observations lead to the ”creation” of and the belief in sun gods, earth and nature spirits and much later, entire pantheons of gods and deities ruling the earth and earthlings from their lofty dwellings in the heavens above - so giving birth to early pagan religions, rites and religious-ritualistic practices that were developed for their appeasement, placation and propitiation. Indeed in some ancient cultures astrology and religion were not considered distinct from each other and astrologers also actually served as priests.The magi are the best example in antiquity of this trend which is still common to this day in India. But the integration of astrology with religion (not just pagan) goes far deeper as evidenced in the personification of the sun and other celestial bodies in the form of the gods, deities and other personages of religious mythology, including it has been argued, in Christian mythology where Jesus and God are referenced as Solar deities in the Bible. Similarly, major astronomical-astrological events align perfectly with crucial mythological accounts in various pagan traditions (eg Mithraism) believed to have been Christianised in the parables of the Gospels.Here are some examples: In the Bible, the star of Bethlehem signalling the Messiah’s advent into the world which Johannes Kepler hypothesised (1600) was a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, has been confirmed by modern astrology as a rare triple conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn that occurred in 7 BCE. Its symbolism coincides with prophecies heralding the coming of the Messiah amongst the Jews, based on the conjunctions occurring at the end of Pisces, which is ruled by Jupiter the planet of kings, while the planet Saturn rules the Jews, hence symbolising the king of the Jews. Similarly the "Morning Star", an astrological reference to the planet Venus, is also known as the "light bringer" symbolising the onset of dawn putting an end to the darkness of night. By extension it is a reference to the Messiah bringing God’s light to the people and is used to refer to all sons of God. Some other examples of obvious astrological symbolism in the Bible include God chiding Job, "Canst thou bring forth the Maz'zaroth in their season, or can you guide the Bier with its children?" Job 38:32. Maz’zaroth is the Hebrew word for the 12 Zodiac signs.The Bier corresponds to Ursa Major or the Great Bear. The reference is to a story wherein the children were following the funeral procession of the bier of their father slain by Gedi, the pole star (based on common Syrian folk lore). Furthermore, the Great Bier is symbolic of the first Adam, and the Little Bier of the Second Adam, Jesus Christ.In the Gospel of Luke: “A man will meet you carrying an earthen pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he goes in” 22:10. Since the Age of Aquarius is symbolised by a water-bearer, this line is viewed as Jesus recommending entry into the astrological 'house' of Aquarius, the age superseding the Age of Pisces in which Christianity gained predominance.The Bible describes various events occurring according to their respective astrological "Age", a period of 2160 years corresponding to a specific sign of the Zodiac: “No one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this AGE and, in the AGE to come, eternal life.” (Luke 18:29-30)."[Christ was raised] far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present AGE but also in the one to come.” (Eph. 1:21)Jesus was born on the cusp of the Age of Aries and the Age of Pisces. Aries is sometimes represented by a lamb and Jesus was known as the Lamb of God. The Age of Pisces is dominated by fish symbology and the fish sign carries special significance having been the recognised sign of Christianity. Jesus recruited "fishermen" as disciples and fed the hungry masses with fish produced miraculously.A commonly used icon shaped like a fish without a tail is the "Vesica Piscis" (Latin for "mouth of the fish") which can be seen in stained glass windows in many churches and cathedrals. The Pope wears a fish head shaped ceremonial hat. Going back to a few centuries before and including the period corresponding to Jesus’ reported lifetime, a great variety of pagan creeds and rituals were prevalent across the Mediterranean and surrounding regions.The godly cast of characters included Mithra (Persian), Osiris, Isis and Horus (Egypt), Apollo/Dionysus (Greek), Hercules (Roman), Adonis and Attis (Syrian), Baal and Astarte (Babylonian, Carthaginian). The astonishing fact that emerges is that almost all share remarkably similar story lines: born on or around 25th December, of a virgin-mother, in some sort of cave or similar structure; destined to a life of strife for the benefit of humanity; known as Teacher, Healer, Mediator, Light-bringer, Saviour, Deliverer; vanquished by the forces of evil, descended into the underworld; rose from the dead and ascended to Heaven; founded ‘Communions of Saints’ and churches, admitting disciples through Baptism; rites include the Eucharistic meal.Many parallels have been recorded between Christianity and the ancient Persian religion of Mithraism and between the legends of Jesus and Mithra, who was born in a cave on 25th December, of a Virgin. In addition to the above noted similarities, Mithra was accompanied by twelve disciples (the twelve months) with his major festivals observed on the winter solstice and spring equinox (Christmas and Easter).According to an inscription Mithra reportedly said: "He who will not eat of my body and drink of my blood, so that he will be made one with me and I with him, the same shall not know salvation."In John 6:53-54, Jesus says: "...Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day". As well, Catholism and Mithraism both had seven sacraments; Mithra followers celebrated the visit of the Magi to their newborn infant-saviour on 6th January (Epiphany), which was co-opted by the Church in the 9th century. Christianity has also co-opted various pagan symbols including the important images of the good shepherd and the Orans/Orante, the standing figure in the attitude of prayer with extended arms that were borrowed from the Romans.
Today these images evoke the gospel stories of Jesus as the good shepherd or the lost sheep. In fact, for the Romans it symbolised one of the most important virtues of civic and public life, that of philanthropy (love of humanity). The Orans figure symbolising the old pagan virtue of piety, loyalty to the gods and the state, denotes loyalty to the God of Jesus Christ, for the Christians.
Furthermore much of the appropriated pagan symbology often appears on the ceremonial raiments, vestments and paraphernalia at the Vatican (eg. at St. Peter's Basilica), including various symbols of pagan sun worship on the Pope’s ceremonial robes and headgear. Additionally, numerous astrological illustrations and adornments are also to be found, starting at the Vatican and across several ancient churches and cathedrals all over Europe and North America.

A section of a Christian mosaic floor dating to the third or fourth century A.D., in the compound of the Megiddo prison in northern Israel.

© COPYRIGHT PUBLICATION 2022 • JYOTISH VICHAAR

The father of medicine, Greek physician Hippocrates, required his students to study astrology, saying, "He who does not understand astrology is not a doctor but a fool". Similarly, based on the planetary influences on many herbal plants a codification system of plant properties was developed and used in the preparation of specific medicinal mixtures to treat various diseases. St. Augustine, an early Catholic theologian who had been a student and proponent of astrology in his youth, eventually denounced it in his Civitate Dei (City of God), evidently because of his inability to come to terms with various phenomena that appeared inconsistent with his understanding of the underlying astrological significations. For example, he couldn’t reconcile how twins who were conceived at the same moment and shared roughly the same birth time could end up leading very different lives; or, that a large number of people with widely differing dates and times of birth who should therefore have had very different horoscopes could all share the same fate, dying together in the same battlefield on the same day. Coming at a time of decreasing literacy in the Europe of the Middle Ages, his arguments were enough to sway the Church into condemning astrology in the 3rd-4th century, thereby leading to its overall decline in Europe and generally in the West, a state to which it remained relegated for approximately an entire millennium.

Gospel Truth or Fiction:
Bible Misinterpretations, Contradictions
The astrological references incorporated throughout the text of the Bible are far too numerous (Revelation is filled with Astrological symbolism) for the argument that the Bible forbids astrology to stand up to serious challenge. On the contrary, the text clearly indicates that astrology was very much an accepted and prominent part of life for the ancient Israelites. As proof of the Bible proscribing astrology, naysayers tend to quote misinterpreted verses like Isaiah 47:13-15 which appear to mention certain approaches to astrology/astrological practices. However the apt interpretation of the intent of these verses would be to warn that though the astrologer may foresee forthcoming dark events, astrology may not be used to attempt to thwart God's justice for previous transgressions.A major hurdle for naysayers is that the entire Bible is open to interpretation and misinterpretation with the latter often times used as a manipulative tool to support Church doctrine. That being said, the Bible apparently contains several passages seemingly advocating contradictory positions on astrology. As a point of fact, the contradictions and differences do not end there. After much painstaking work spanning the last few centuries and upon examining thousands of manuscripts of various versions, Bible scholars have reached the conclusion that there are more differences and variations than there are words in the New Testament. And herein lies the crux of the problem for anyone trying to support their objection against astrology by quoting from the Bible based on the claim that Bible presents the inerrantly “inspired words of God”.In actual fact no one can tell what the actual words of God really were because the original books of the New Testament which were accounts as reported by the Apostles and originally written in Aramaic, are forever lost. The copies of the Bible in circulation today are mass printed versions of a translated copy of a Greek translation of one of the thousands of early manuscripts that prior to the printing press, had been reproduced by being hand copied by scribes for almost fifteen hundred years.In his book Misquoting Jesus (2006), well known Bible scholar Bart Ehrman says that when he first began to study the Bible texts in their original languages he was startled to discover the multitude of involuntary mistakes and intentional modifications that were made by ancient translators and/or scribes who were influenced by the cultural, theological, and political currents of the day. All of these changes, accidental or intentional, significantly affected all subsequent versions of the Bible. Ehrman found that all four Gospels are somewhat different from each other with the last written Gospel of John, being markedly different from the other three: “in this Gospel, Jesus isn't born in Bethlehem, he doesn't tell any parables, he never casts out a demon, there's no last supper. The crucifixion stories are different -- in Mark, Jesus is terrified on the cross; in John, he's perfectly composed. Key dates are different. The resurrection stories are different.” He also casts doubt on a number of episodes considered by most Christians to be “gospel truth”, including the oft repeated story about the crowd preparing to stone the adulterous woman to death, wherein Jesus says, let the one without sin cast the first stone. Ehrman, confirming what other scholars have concluded, says the episode is most likely fiction, added on by scribes centuries after Christ. Similarly, he says the last 12 verses of the Gospel of Mark -- the only verses recounting Christ’s reappearance after his death, as well as, the critical passage in 1 John, explicitly setting out the Holy Trinity (the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit), both appear to have been added years later.In light of these findings, and given the preponderance of astrological symbolism and supportive references in the Bible, it may be argued that the text segments claimed to be allegedly proscribing astrology could possibly also have been subsequent additions or subject to some alteration by scribes.

Astrology a Science
Flying in the face of the contention in the West that astrology is unscientific or not a science is the remarkable fact that throughout its history, astrology has attracted some of the most brilliant scientific and medical innovators, mathematically gifted and technically evolved individuals, formidable thinkers and philosophers - Aristotle, Hippocrates, Ptolemy, Copernicus, Galileo, Giordano Bruno, to name but a few. One of modern western astrology’s founders Claudius Ptolemy (2nd century CE) was a Greek mathematician, astrologer, astronomer, geographer, and musician, amongst whose major achievements include various authoritative tomes (eg Almagest), precise astronomical calculations for planetary movements, and geometrical refinements made to the fundamental Earth-Sun system used to design astrolabes.The Ptolemaic model of an Earth-centred universe where all astronomical objects maintained circular orbits moving at constant speeds remained the keystone of astronomy for 1,500 years proving to be one of the longest held scientific theories of all time until it was disproven by Copernicus. Ptolemy is also credited with the rather sage reflection on astrology, that "the stars incline, but they do not compel". Polish astronomer-astrologer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) was the first to postulate the revolutionary cosmological concept of heliocentrism (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Bodies) that put the sun at the centre of the universe, with the earth revolving around the sun while also rotating daily around its polar axis. His theory was roundly debunked by scientists at the time but readily embraced by astrologers who contributed to his findings being gradually accepted despite being considered contradictory to the scriptures and in 1616 being judged heretical by the Church, who remained stubbornly attached to the Aristotelian-Ptolemaic geocentric view of the cosmos long after modern science had produced irrefutable evidence otherwise. At age 46, Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), Italian astronomer, physicist, and yes astrologer, built his first telescope little realising how it would forever change his life. The telescope enabled him to observe Jupiter's four moons (aka Galilean moons) orbiting around it, the phases of Venus, and make other discoveries which further developed and expanded upon the Copernican theory of heliocentrism. First denounced by the Roman Catholic Church in 1615, Galileo was forced to recant his beliefs regarding a heliocentric universe and promise never again to teach this theory as fact; he thus managed to evade the Church’s ire for almost two decades. However in 1632, Galileo published his 2nd book, a 12-year opus written at the request of Pope Urbano VIII, entitled “Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems- Ptolemaic & Copernican” that presented all the pros and cons related to the two major cosmological systems: Copernican (sun centred) and Aristotelian-Ptolemaic (earth centred). This work was promptly confiscated and banned by the Roman Curia (his works remained on the Church's Index of Prohibited Books until 1835), subsequently providing the grounds at Galileo's second trial for his condemnation to a lifetime under house arrest in 1633. Convicted of breaking his agreement to refrain from teaching the Copernican theory and at pain of being burned at the stake for heresy, he had been ordered by the Church to abjure.The Holy Tribunal declared: “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.”Although Galileo was rehabilitated by the Church in 1757 after it had accepted the Copernican theories, he was made to languish 350 long years after his death before being officially pardoned. In 1979 Pope John Paul II requested the Pontifical Academy of Sciences to conduct a review of the church's case against Galileo. Only after the report from the commission of scholars had been presented to the Pope on October 31, 1992 did the Roman Catholic Church finally expunge its verdict of heresy against him. Pope John Paul II reportedly declared, “...Galileo suffered unjustly at the hands of the Church" and praised Galileo's religiousness and his views and behaviours regarding the relationship between science and religion. These few examples serve as a cautionary tale of how historically, the Church has not only always been out of synch with progressive thinking, be it new developments in science, philosophy or in any other genre, but also unable or unwilling to understand and make the needed separation between science and philosophy.

The Church’s stoic historical attachment to Aristotelian traditions in science was erroneously interpreted to mean that admitting Aristotle was wrong would necessarily imply that the Church and all Christianity had also been wrong! Thus the desire to safeguard its power and influence at all costs largely explains its traditional methods of choice - ruthlessly stamping out dissent and relentlessly persecuting those who would challenge or pose a threat to the Church’s moral authority as Keeper of the Faith.

Christianity - Paganism - Astrology
As to the Church’s objection on the grounds of astrology being a pagan practice, although the genesis of religious thought and practice is a complex topic requiring many diverging/converging branches of further study that is beyond the scope of this writing, a brief overview of this aspect is essential insofar as it sheds light on the common pagan roots of both religion and astrology while highlighting some of the shared/borrowed mythology, symbology and practices between Paganism and Christianity. In many respects, astrology and religion share a common genesis, birthed from the same “womb” so to speak: man’s necessity born out of the instinct of self-preservation, to devise a comprehensive system with which to better understand the how's and why's' of events unfolding in nature; to determine patterns that could help prepare for these natural phenomena and where possible to control or manage their impacts; and eventually, to design practices that could perhaps minimise the frequency of their occurrence if not prevent them altogether. So it was that early man concerned with survival and the practical problems associated with hunting, gathering or growing food, began to look heavenwards for early warning signs of impending gloom and disaster, and over time began to observe and document the movements of the Sun, stars and the planets in the sky, eventually making the connection between celestial cycles and natural phenomena like night/day and seasons. Thus began the early study of astronomy-astrology which were considered indistinguishable.
Concurrently, these observations lead to the ”creation” of and the belief in sun gods, earth and nature spirits and much later, entire pantheons of gods and deities ruling the earth and earthlings from their lofty dwellings in the heavens above - so giving birth to early pagan religions, rites and religious-ritualistic practices that were developed for their appeasement, placation and propitiation. Indeed in some ancient cultures astrology and religion were not considered distinct from each other and astrologers also actually served as priests.The magi are the best example in antiquity of this trend which is still common to this day in India. But the integration of astrology with religion (not just pagan) goes far deeper as evidenced in the personification of the sun and other celestial bodies in the form of the gods, deities and other personages of religious mythology, including it has been argued, in Christian mythology where Jesus and God are referenced as Solar deities in the Bible. Similarly, major astronomical-astrological events align perfectly with crucial mythological accounts in various pagan traditions (eg Mithraism) believed to have been Christianised in the parables of the Gospels.Here are some examples: In the Bible, the star of Bethlehem signalling the Messiah’s advent into the world which Johannes Kepler hypothesised (1600) was a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, has been confirmed by modern astrology as a rare triple conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn that occurred in 7 BCE. Its symbolism coincides with prophecies heralding the coming of the Messiah amongst the Jews, based on the conjunctions occurring at the end of Pisces, which is ruled by Jupiter the planet of kings, while the planet Saturn rules the Jews, hence symbolising the king of the Jews. Similarly the "Morning Star", an astrological reference to the planet Venus, is also known as the "light bringer" symbolising the onset of dawn putting an end to the darkness of night. By extension it is a reference to the Messiah bringing God’s light to the people and is used to refer to all sons of God. Some other examples of obvious astrological symbolism in the Bible include God chiding Job, "Canst thou bring forth the Maz'zaroth in their season, or can you guide the Bier with its children?" Job 38:32. Maz’zaroth is the Hebrew word for the 12 Zodiac signs.The Bier corresponds to Ursa Major or the Great Bear. The reference is to a story wherein the children were following the funeral procession of the bier of their father slain by Gedi, the pole star (based on common Syrian folk lore). Furthermore, the Great Bier is symbolic of the first Adam, and the Little Bier of the Second Adam, Jesus Christ.In the Gospel of Luke: “A man will meet you carrying an earthen pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he goes in” 22:10. Since the Age of Aquarius is symbolised by a water-bearer, this line is viewed as Jesus recommending entry into the astrological 'house' of Aquarius, the age superseding the Age of Pisces in which Christianity gained predominance.The Bible describes various events occurring according to their respective astrological "Age", a period of 2160 years corresponding to a specific sign of the Zodiac: “No one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this AGE and, in the AGE to come, eternal life.” (Luke 18:29-30)."[Christ was raised] far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present AGE but also in the one to come.” (Eph. 1:21)Jesus was born on the cusp of the Age of Aries and the Age of Pisces. Aries is sometimes represented by a lamb and Jesus was known as the Lamb of God. The Age of Pisces is dominated by fish symbology and the fish sign carries special significance having been the recognised sign of Christianity. Jesus recruited "fishermen" as disciples and fed the hungry masses with fish produced miraculously.A commonly used icon shaped like a fish without a tail is the "Vesica Piscis" (Latin for "mouth of the fish") which can be seen in stained glass windows in many churches and cathedrals. The Pope wears a fish head shaped ceremonial hat. Going back to a few centuries before and including the period corresponding to Jesus’ reported lifetime, a great variety of pagan creeds and rituals were prevalent across the Mediterranean and surrounding regions.The godly cast of characters included Mithra (Persian), Osiris, Isis and Horus (Egypt), Apollo/Dionysus (Greek), Hercules (Roman), Adonis and Attis (Syrian), Baal and Astarte (Babylonian, Carthaginian). The astonishing fact that emerges is that almost all share remarkably similar story lines: born on or around 25th December, of a virgin-mother, in some sort of cave or similar structure; destined to a life of strife for the benefit of humanity; known as Teacher, Healer, Mediator, Light-bringer, Saviour, Deliverer; vanquished by the forces of evil, descended into the underworld; rose from the dead and ascended to Heaven; founded ‘Communions of Saints’ and churches, admitting disciples through Baptism; rites include the Eucharistic meal.Many parallels have been recorded between Christianity and the ancient Persian religion of Mithraism and between the legends of Jesus and Mithra, who was born in a cave on 25th December, of a Virgin. In addition to the above noted similarities, Mithra was accompanied by twelve disciples (the twelve months) with his major festivals observed on the winter solstice and spring equinox (Christmas and Easter).According to an inscription Mithra reportedly said: "He who will not eat of my body and drink of my blood, so that he will be made one with me and I with him, the same shall not know salvation."In John 6:53-54, Jesus says: "...Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day". As well, Catholism and Mithraism both had seven sacraments; Mithra followers celebrated the visit of the Magi to their newborn infant-saviour on 6th January (Epiphany), which was co-opted by the Church in the 9th century. Christianity has also co-opted various pagan symbols including the important images of the good shepherd and the Orans/Orante, the standing figure in the attitude of prayer with extended arms that were borrowed from the Romans.
Today these images evoke the gospel stories of Jesus as the good shepherd or the lost sheep. In fact, for the Romans it symbolised one of the most important virtues of civic and public life, that of philanthropy (love of humanity). The Orans figure symbolising the old pagan virtue of piety, loyalty to the gods and the state, denotes loyalty to the God of Jesus Christ, for the Christians.
Furthermore much of the appropriated pagan symbology often appears on the ceremonial raiments, vestments and paraphernalia at the Vatican (eg. at St. Peter's Basilica), including various symbols of pagan sun worship on the Pope’s ceremonial robes and headgear. Additionally, numerous astrological illustrations and adornments are also to be found, starting at the Vatican and across several ancient churches and cathedrals all over Europe and North America.

A section of a Christian mosaic floor dating to the third or fourth century A.D., in the compound of the Megiddo prison in northern Israel.