The Bible and Astrology - Discussions, questions

Linda Harris » Opal E There is a biblical scholar who says that depending upon the writer at that time, some of the Bible could be see as Poetry....
some of what you quote above seems like poetry...and why not? Why should the Bible be seen only as a history book or a set of events written by "the winners"..or the point of view only of the writer?
L

Opal E Job 9:9
Who makes the Bear, Orion and the Pleiades,
And the chambers of the south;

Job 38:32
“Can you lead forth a constellation in its season,
And guide the Bear with her satellites?

Job 38:31-32
“Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades,
Or loose the cords of Orion?
“Can you lead forth a constellation in its season,
And guide the Bear with her satellites?

Job 31:26-28
If I have looked at the sun when it shone
Or the moon going in splendor,
And my heart became secretly enticed,
And my hand threw a kiss from my mouth,
That too would have been an iniquity calling for judgment,
For I would have denied God above.

Opal E » Linda Harris Hahaha!

Well I agree with your entire post. Laine.

Opal E » FOWL https://what-when-how.com/religious…

First, I was misunderstanding you Fowl. Thank you for sending me down a rabbit hole, that is related to my personal favourite rabbit hole. My apologies.

In iconographic terms, the constellation of Aquarius is understood as Ganymede, the youth seized by Zeus/ Jupiter to be cupbearer to the gods. In spiritual hermeneutics, this configuration has been reinterpreted to represent the servant of humanity pouring forth the water of knowledge to quench the world’s thirst. The sign of Aquarius is ruled by the planet Uranus that, in the astrological register, signifies unexpected, dynamic and progressive change. Consequently, by aligning the New Age vision with the astrological Age of Aquarius, not only is the New Age grounded in a supposedly discernible astronomical event, but it is also linked to Uranian newness and transformation. However, the major difficulty involved is the location of the actual astronomical date for the equinoctial precession to the Aquarian constellation. British astrologer Nicholas Campion mentions at least seventy possibilities for the beginning of the Age of Aquarius covering a range of 1,500 years. One New Age interpretation holds that the entrance into the new age is an inner rather than outer conversion. As the New Age groups and/or movements constitute a diversified range of exegesis, there are those who expect the change to come through some kind of supernatural or millennial intervention (e.g., Ruth Montgomery (see Montgomery, Ruth), Jose Arguelles)—to a degree following Fiore. Others (such as Ram Dass) expect that the Aquarian entry is purely a spiritual event that depends on a sufficient number of individuals becoming aware of their ‘higher selves’ and undergoing the requisite personal transformation for a quantum shift in planetary consciousness. A third position is represented by Marilyn Ferguson (see Ferguson, Marilyn) who argues that a New Age will come about only through tough ecological reform and consciousness, social work, education, and the practical application of new ideas and innovations. From this last vantage point, the New Age of Aquarius is a social rather than supernatural or spiritual phenomenon.

Linda Harris » FOWL Well, this is another contradiction....the first writers of the Bible saw the lights in the sky as SIGNS...for weather, events both bad and good, for seasons. for whatever the heck they were looking for...

It was the LATER writers who decided that "interpreting" these "lights" (for power or money) was BAD...and people should not put their FAITH in that.

And I agree...we have found that astrology is not a religion. We should not put faith in "mankind". We can put our hopes and desires and best wishes...LOL...into Mankind...but let´s face it, Mankind is pretty much a failed race.
We have destroyed so much of what has been given to us. God gave us brains an look what our best thinking has gotten us!!!

To me, astrology is a TOOL for examining oneself and attempting to become the best we can be. Also a way to warn us of what we don´t see.
Kind of like the other behavioral sciences.

It can go farther than that ,of course, but so few get to that plateau of expertise.
I would like my clients to have confidence in me...but I don´t want their FAITH. Faith is not for mortals.

Linda

Opal E » Linda Harris I agree Linda.

It doesn´t make sense, the way we were taught it.

I was raised High Anglican.

Opal E » Linda Harris Delta Cancri - the southern donkeys
Bootes Constellation - Herdsmen, shepards
Beehive Cluster, Praesepe - Manger
Orion - Three Kings

A lot of the cast in the Bible are represented in the sky.

FOWL » Linda Harris I view it much differently as you have MAGI following a star to the Virgin Birth...
God placed the stars in the heavens for signs.... signs of what? In heaven as it is on Earth.... it´s right between the lines. Revelations is just dripping with astrological symbolism, and whole chapters are literally just describing one constellation to the next as you move through the sky... etc...

Linda Harris » FOWL God Created the Lights ...for SIGNS and for SEASONS.....it´s a creation story...but the Bible never really validates astrology for any guide regarding how to live.

I mean...who ever said the Bible made "sense" the way we know it?..

There are MANY contradictions in the Bible regarding other subjects....
Linda

Opal E » FOWL ? I didn’t know he walked that way.

FOWL » Opal E Interesting... let us not follow the Ganymede trail too closely now!

Opal E 10And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in.

The above is Luke 22:10

To me, this may harken Jesus knowing, that his time would end. Insinuating that there will be a man bearing a pitcher of water.

That is Aquarius. In Precession The water bearer is the next representative for that age.

The Bible foretells it through Jesus.🙂

FOWL » CancerPiscesLibra God placed the stars and planets in the sky. If they happen to factually coincide with the happenings of life on earth, how could this possibly be the work of any force other than the God who created it?

IceSíckle » CancerPiscesLibra "I was raised in a religion that taught astrology was playing with the devil."

Same here ✋ But in truth, Astrology is more closely playing with the divine than it is the devil. Like you said anything can be used for good or bad which includes Astrology. It should be a tool to help heal and enrich our lives rather than be slaves to rythym of the stars and let us fall into paranoia over every conjunction, square, opposition and so on...We can fly or fall with Astrology..the choice is ours.

You have the same healthy outlook I have adopted myself so congrats 👏

CancerPiscesLibra I have dealt with this topic just today. I was raised in a religion that taught astrology was playing with the devil. I was actually afraid of it and of really looking into it for many years. But more recently I have finally allowed my self to look at it and learn it to try to understand my birth chart. I came to it wanting answers to some things in my life and it has helped me greatly. Now I am devouring information and learning it fast because I find it a useful tool for healing. I had to deal with my conscious and subconscious beliefs about religion and what it told me about astrology. In the end, I just think it´s another tool like money or using crystals or whatnot. Everything can be used for good or for bad. If we use it for personal gain or to harm another that is a negative use of the tool.

Opal E » Linda Harris https://www.johnpratt.com/items/…

The Mayans/Aztecs used The Venus Calendar. It is an interesting system that I don´t yet totally understand.

I understand what you are saying in that in recent ancient history the emphesis was on the Kings and country.

But, I don´t think it was always so. If I am reading between the lines correctly Lainie, you believe it to be older too. With that in mind, do we when we reach an apocolypse, lose our knowledge, and then gradually find it again, with the elite being the first to use it, for what they are looking for? Will I win the battle? Will I have an heir? When it is in recovery stage, after an apocolypse, I believe we would return to it being a tool first for the rulers. Then again, it will be expanded upon, as it was to include the people.

Opal E » FOWL https://www.scientificlib.com/en/…

This is an interesting book.

The below is from Chapter IV, The Firmament.

Of note "God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven."

Lights, plural.


"And God said, Let there be a rāqiā‘ in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the rāqiā‘, and divided the waters which were under the rāqiā‘ from the waters which were above the rāqiā‘: and it was so. And God called the rāqiā‘ Shamayim. And the evening and the morning were the second day."

It is, of course, perfectly clear that by the word rāqiā‘ in the preceding passage it is the atmosphere that is alluded to. But later on in the chapter the word is used in a slightly different connection. "God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven.

FOWL » Linda Harris Absolutely. The point of the thread was to discuss the seemingly contradictory messaging about astrology within it, which I propose was actually fairly cohesive thematically.

Linda Harris » FOWL I agree...but the name of this thread is Bible & Astrology...so...that is why I didn´t really go deeper.
Most experts believe the Bible was first begun to be written less than 3,000 years ago. Plenty was being learned before IT..
Linda

FOWL » Linda Harris This is of course true, and thank you for the clarification. The truth of the matter however is that we have no idea how the little people actually felt and acted, as they had no means of documenting their lives and thoughts to us through the aeons. What we can be certain of is that they at least followed the phases of the Moon, and likely the planets. Many folkloric traditions carry on through oral traditions which give a sense of a much deeper and more rich inner world that the non-notables experienced beyond that which we can assess from our vantage point.

Linda Harris » FOWL "Ancient Egypt had a robust astrological tradition."

Yes...but not for the common people....and not to guide their individual lives.

ONLY the religious rulers used astrology...and as I said....their focus was "the after life."

Astrology as we use it bears little resemblance to Egypt´s use of it.

Before Egypt, maybe thousands of years before Egypt...people looked UP to the heavens to seek some connection between IT and them. Using the Sun´s position..as it was noted in antiquity that the "lights" moved in the same way month after month, year after year.

Stonehenge... also used the planets..for ritual...but again, not in any way that we use astrology ...because individual lives meant little -...

South American civilizations lost for possibly 2000 years also used a form of astrology in their building...it was all for religion and ritual.

the Individual as a unique person who had autonomy...in other words were willing and able to make changes in their lives according to their impulses and desire...is a very new concept.

Linda

Dreamer2 » IceSíckle Look and you shall find, knocking it shall be open to you.Religion is all about enlightenment, perceiving how and why everything is the way it is searching for the truth. where a lot of churches puts limits on searching for the truth Astrology is also all about searching for the truth why and how everything is the way it is. who is God, what is God God is love God is harmony God is good. and actually tells you in the Bible that. He is a combination of all that is good. He also is Spirit, the spirit of God, good.

FOWL » Linda Harris Ancient Egypt had a robust astrological tradition. In fact the Decans as far back as we can trace them came from Egyptian tradition, although only so much can be determined from the writing we have from then. Clearly the pyramids were built to align to Sirius, which we know was watched for its heliacal rise as a sign of the Nile flooding and prosperity to return. There´s more of course... hard to tell how deeply their astrological systems went, but it is certain that their priests were astrologically adept.

Linda Harris WEll, the Bible warns us not to "put your faith in astrologers" or other people who use divination....

Faith implies religion. Of course astrology is not a religion...but of course when people in power are on the defensive they don´t want competition- nor could they tell the difference.

I think it´ s because that part of the world didn´t really have a "science" of astronomy at the time..(.remember, it was in Iraq and other parts of Mesopotamia where astrology was first used. NOT the Arabian peninsula...and Egypt...Egyptian religion was really one way focused...the "afterlife."...NOT ...how to live a good life while you are here).

Mosaic commandments were ALL about how to live a right life in the here and now...and didn´t really ´push" the idea of an afterlife.


If few people here and there were using astrology as divination, it was probably not a problem.

Perhaps at some point Astrology became very popular! And then of course the people in power were afraid that Astrologers would be "adversaries´ or enemies- again...COMPETITION... of "THE religion" - and remember, then as now, religion was a very lucrative career. Priests and other religious rulers had power and were "supported" financially by the "people´.

So it was more of a financial issue than a spiritual one.

And so it has continued that way. Astrology has been trashed since then because the powerful religions obviously feel we are in competition... which is the furthest thing from the truth.

Linda

Rosincvist » FOWL When you click on "shape" the ten circles for each planet are spiritually positive!
Automatic writing in multiple circles is a sign of being right with `Spirit´
The late old testament book Malachi has a laying of a curse on the roof-top practice of staring at s, it implied an anti-Arab sentiment so it really is wedged between testaments!
The "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Psychiatry" has been called `a bible´..........marking it up with Planet symbols would be less of a violation than putting hieroglyphs in Gideon´s Bible!
Repeated escapes to secular tomes usually has Westerners referring to the Bible because of so many denomination´s children´s room based on the Primacy of the Bible!