Aries

Aries First sign

Fire, Masculine

Lou ( la longe) : 婁宿 Wei ( le ventre) : 胃宿

Alpha Ari : راس حمل
Beta Ari : الشرطان

Gamma Ari :

Delta Ari : بطين

טלה

Martis

חזק

牧羊

March 21 April 20

Ram or Golden Fleece.

In Greek mythology, the ram carried Athamas's son Phrixux and daughter Helle to Colchis to escape Ino. When the ram reached Colchis, Phrixux sacrificed the ram and hung its fleece in the Grove or Ares. This fleece turned to gold and later was the quest of Jason and the Argonauts.

The constellation name was common in Greek, Babylonian and Egyptian cultures.

The ancients needed a marker of some sort to indicate the beginning of spring. The only stars occupying that particular place on the Zodiac at that time were those dim ones we now recognize as Aries. Around 1800 B.C. the position occupied by Aries on the Zodiac band was an important one, and will be again in the distant future. It marked the beginning of spring and was known as the First Point of Aries

The brightest star in Aries is Hamal, from the Arabic Al Ras al Hamal, meaning "the Head of the Sheep." The ancient Greeks from about 1580 B.C. to 360 B.C. oriented the construction of many of their sacred temples in relationship to Hamal.

The Chinese knew Aries as a dog, Kiang Leu. Later they knew it as Pih Yang, or "the White Sheep."


Aries, The Ram [Middle English, zodiacal sign Aries, from Latin aries, ram, zodiacal sign Aries], is on the Meridian on December 10. The second smallest constellation of the zodiac, is composed principally of only three lackluster stars. Aries is seen as a ram, an animal prized by the nomadic tribes of the Middle East. The zodiacal symbol represents the head and horns of the animal.

Around 4000 B.C. the Sun was in this constellation on the winter solstice, which for some cultures marked the beginning of the year. By 1800 B.C. because of the apparent shifting of the sky due to precession, the Sun came to be in Aries at the beginning of spring, which was true in Europe until the change from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar at the end of the 16th century.

Since the second century B.C., when the astronomer Hipparchus mapped the heavens, the vernal equinox and the point in the sky where the Sun lies at that instant have been known as "the first point of Aries." The beginning of the astrological period called Aries coincides with the first day of spring, March 21, but because the precession of the equinoxes continues, the Sun today is actually in Pisces at the beginning of spring and does not enter Aries until April 19.

Others call Aries ‘The Lamb,' although it is a Ram-like creature comparable to the Capricornus Goat-like creature giving rise to a fish. In the New Testament the Greek word for Lamb is very similar to the word Aries, look at them for yourself.

1) Aren, ar-ane’, a noun the nominative case of which is found only in early times, occurs in Luke 10:3. It is perhaps the same as Arrhen, ar’-hrane, or Arsen, ar’-sane probably from airo, male (as stronger for lifting); a lamb (as a male).

2) Arnion, ar-nee’-on, is a diminutive in form originally Aren, ar-ane’, a lambkin, the Lamb of God for sacrifice, redemption and divine vengeance; the One to whom all judgment is committed; see Rev. 6:1 also; Lamb of God is Christ slain as a lamb from the foundation of the world; is seen in a position of sovereign glory and honor, as Leader and Shepherd of His saints; one who is to sit as the Lamb at the right hand of God the Father where he is in Rev. 4 and 5; as the Conqueror of the foes of God and His people; as the Head of His spiritual Bride; as the luminary of the heavenly and eternal city.

3) Amnos, am-nos’, a lamb figuratively of Christ the expected One. It is apparently a primary word; a lamb. Revelation 5:9,10,12 "…has redeemed us to God by thy blood …Worthy is the Lamb that was slain."

The different types of Lambs of the Bible.
1) The Lamb’s Book of Life with the names of God’s elect.
2) The wrath of the Lamb in Revelation 6:16, a Lamb showing wrath.
3) The Lamb who is husband of the wife, the bride:the Church as the "Bride of the Lamb."
4) The Lamb whose blood overcomes Satan and the saints’ testimony to Him.

The astrological symbol shows the Lamb facing backward with one paw on the Band, which at one end holds the two fishes of Pisces, and the other end is bound to the neck of Cetus, the Sea-Monster--a varying picture of Satan, the great leviathan of the Scripture. As in the first chapter of Job, God constrains Satan where he cannot do more than what He allows him. Thus Christ is with one hand upholding the Church and also controlling and restraining Satan. Even in Revelation the power of Christ will chain Satan one day.

(Note: It looks as if Cetus had broke the Band, where Aries is a piece of the Band separated, and the two bands of Cetus are being held by the Ram, and Taurus is the other end of the Band which forks off to Auriga upward and to a break above Orion from Gemini.)

Of interest is in Daniel 8:3-8, the word ram in Hebrew is ‘ayil, ah’-yil, from the same as Heb. ,‘uwl, ool, from an unused root, to twist, be strong; properly strength, hence anything strong, specially a chief (politically); also a ram (from his strength); a pilaster (as a strong support), an oak or other strong tree.

Leo enluminure.

Enluminure.

Virgo 9

Egg of Heliopolis.

First of all Sirius, the brighest star in the sky, and the "Star in the East" in our Gospel accounts, was on the meridian line. The brightest of all the fixed stars is Sirius. Known to astronomers as Alpha Canis Major, it is the principal star of the constellation Canis Major (the Big Dog). The ancient Egyptians called it Septit, the Hebrews knew it as Sihor, to the Greeks as Sothis and also as the "the Dog Star" that followed Orion the Hunter. Sirius has a magnitude of -1.42, which makes it nine times more brilliant than a standard first magnitude star.

It can even been seen in daylight with a telescope. Sirius is 23 times as bright as our sun and has almost twice its diameter. Being only 8.7 light-years away, Sirius is the fifth nearest star to our solar system, and the nearest after Alpha Centauri among the naked eye stars. Throughout recorded history, and probably long before, Sirius was the subject of much veneration and myth making throughout the world. Even as late as the 1970s it became the subject of a very controversial theory linked to extra-terrestrials and the Dogon tribe of Mali published by the scholar and author Robert Temple.

There is much speculation on the origin of its modern name which is generally thought to be derived from the Greek word "Sirio" meaning "scorching" or "sparkling", apparently because it rose in the height of the summer heat. Some etymologists, however, have suggested a connection with the ancient Egyptian god Osiris. But of all the various names and epithets that this star was given, none can match the notoriety of its role in history as the "Star of Isis". Since earliest times the ancient Egyptian paid particular attention to Sirius, which they identified to the 'soul' of the Goddess Isis. There was a time, very long ago, that Sirius could not be seen in the sky from Egypt. This was because of a phenomenon known as the Precession of the Equinoxes. The Precession is a very slow wobble of our planet taking the polar axis of the Earth in a circular swing of 47 degrees every 26,000 years.

The general effect is that the stellar landscape appears to swing up and down like a pendulum. Before the 12th millennium BC Sirius was below the horizon line as seen from the region of Cairo/Giza. It made its first appearance in the skies at that place in c.10,500 BC. Then it had a declination of about 58 degrees 43', which meant it would have just been visible in the south about 1.5 degree above the horizon line. For early man to witnessing the 'birth' of such a bright star must have been a very impressive sight rich with meaning and messages from the gods. Also the rising of Sirius occurred when the constellation of Virgo was rising in the east, which may partly explain why the star became the symbol of a virgin-goddess. We do not know when exactly Sirius became identified to the goddess Isis, but the idea certainly goes back to the origin of Egyptian culture. It was from the 'womb' of Isis-Sirius that was born the divine child, Horus. Since earliest times the ancient Egyptian paid particular attention to Sirius, which they identified to the 'soul' of the Goddess Isis.

There was a time, very long ago, that Sirius could not be seen in the sky from Egypt. This was because of a phenomenon known as the Precession of the Equinoxes. The Precession is a very slow wobble of our planet taking the polar axis of the Earth in a circular swing of 47 degrees every 26,000 years. The general effect is that the stellar landscape appears to swing up and down like a pendulum. Before the 12th millennium BC Sirius was below the horizon line as seen from the region of Cairo/Giza. It made its first appearance in the skies at that place in c.10,500 BC. Then it had a declination of about 58 degrees 43', which meant it would have just been visible in the south about 1.5 degree above the horizon line. For early man to witnessing the 'birth' of such a bright star must have been a very impressive sight rich with meaning and messages from the gods.

Sirius and Orion. The myth of Isis and Osiris.

Also the rising of Sirius occurred when the constellation of Virgo was rising in the east. This event, the rising of Sirius at the same time that Virgo was rising in the east partly explains why the star became the symbol of a virgin-goddess. We do not know when exactly Sirius became identified to the goddess Isis, but the idea certainly goes back to the origin of Egyptian culture. It was from the 'womb' of Isis-Sirius that was born the divine child, Horus.

To understand how Virgo was connected with the "virgin birth" we need to understand the myth of Isis and Osiris. We find that Isis and Osiris were among the four children born from the womb of the sky-goddess, Nut and fathered by Ra, the sungod. The other two children were Seth and Nephtys. Osiris took Isis as his wife, and they became the first rulers of Egypt. At the age of 28 Osiris was brutally murdered by his jealous brother Seth and his body cut into fourteen pieces. Isis recovered all of the pieces of Osiris' body except the phallus, which she could not find. Isis fashioned an artificial phallus for Osiris, placed herself on it in the form of a kite, and became pregnant with his seed.

This was a type of virginal insemination by other means than natural intercourse. She then went into hiding in the marshes of the Nile, and gave birth to Horus. This as you can see begins to pattern the Jesus story of the virgin birth from being overshawed by the Holy Spirit of God and the hiding from an evil one who desired to kill the new born child. From the Pyramid Texts and various other religious writings, it is clear that this myth has its counterpart in the stars, with Isis identified to Sirius and Osiris to the constellation of Orion.

In the Pyramid Texts it is said of Osiris-Orion:

"Your sister Isis comes to you rejoicing for love of you. You have placed her on your phallus and your seed issues in her, she being ready as Sirius, and Horus Sopd (a star) has come forth from you as Horus who is in Sirius…" [Pyr. Text line 632]
Recreating the ancient skies of the early Dynastic Era (c.3300 BC) which took place just before the great Pyramid Age (c.2750 - 2100 BC) we find that the star Sirius performed a very evocative cycle in the heavens which readily explains why it was associated to a magical birth. Because the earth moves around the sun, the fixed background of the stars appears to shift throughout the year in relation to the sun. Yearly observations of Sirius, for example, would show that there is a time when the star sets in the west immediately after sunset.

After that the star is no longer visible for a period of about 70 days. It will reappear again, however, just before sunrise in the east. This reappearance is known as the heliacal rising of the star. In c. 3300 BC the heliacal rising of Sirius occurred exactly on the day of the summer solstice (21 June Gregorian).

The striking conjunction of the heliacal rising of Sirius and the summer solstice in 3300 BC was, in itself, a powerful omen; but there was something else also occurring at the same time which, quite literally, caused the whole of Egypt to be reborn. This was the annual flooding of the Nile. In ancient times the Nile would begin to swell in early June caused by the huge volume of water brought down river by the melting snows in the highlands of Central Africa.

By late June the water would begin to spill over the banks to eventually flood the whole Nile Valley by end July. We know for certain that the ancient Egyptians considered the heliacal rising of Sirius to be the magical cause of the Nile Flood. To a land that gets little if any rain the flooding of the Nile was their salvation from God above and it was connected with the rising of Sirius and Virgo in the east. The heliacal rising of Sirius became the celestial sign that marked the beginning of the New Year. There are many ancient texts which refer to the conjunction of the 'New Year', the summer solstice, the start of the Flood and the appearance of Sirius which shows that this event was of the utmost importance to the Egyptians. The oldest of these texts is carved on a small ivory tablet dated to the 1st Dynasty (c. 3100 BC) where it is said that "Sirius is the Opener of the Year's Flood". The very same notion is given in the Pyramid Texts (c. 2200 BC), where it is stated that: "It is Sirius, the beloved daughter (of Ra, the Sun-god), who prepares yearly sustenance (the flood) for you in her name of 'Year'".

In his book Echoes of Ancient Skies, the archaeo-astronomer Dr. Ed Krupp writes that, "After disappearing from the night sky (for 70 days) Sirius eventually reappears in the dawn, before the sun come up. The first time this occurs each year is called the star's heliacal rising, and on this day Sirius remains visible for only a short time before the sky gets too bright to see it. In ancient Egypt this annual reappearance of Sirius fell close to the summer solstice and coincided with the time of the Nile's inundation. Isis, as Sirius, was the 'Mistress of the Year's beginning', for the Egyptian new year was set by this event. New Year's ceremony texts at Dendera say Isis coaxes out the Nile and causes it to swell. The metaphor is astronomical, hydraulic, and sexual, and it parallels the function of Isis in the myth. Sirius revives the Nile just as Isis revives Osiris. Her time in hiding from Seth is when Sirius is gone (70 days) from the night sky.

She (Isis) gives birth to her son Horus, as Sirius gives birth to the new year, and in the texts Horus and the new year are equated. She is the vehicle for renewal of life and order. Shining for a moment, one morning in summer, she stimulates the Nile and starts the year."

So we must envision that the Virgo was rising in the East at the same time Sirus was visible in the east as well. But also Orion, called "The Three Kings" by oriental astronomers, was in proximity to these other two constellations as well. Also the line of the ecliptic, of the equator and of the horizon all met in the constellation of Virgo. This was a site to behold and captured the minds of men and yet do today at this myth lives among us today. It is interesting also to note that the brightest and largest star in the constellation Virgo is called Spica; it is to be found in the "ear of corn" (sign of fertility) which the Virgin holds.

Bethlehem means the "house of bread," and there is therefore an obvious connection between these two words. These are astronomical facts. The interpretation of the symbolism attached from ancient days to these constellations is as old as religion itself. Whence came the signs, and how the meanings and symbols associated with them came into being, is lost in the night of time. They have existed in men's minds and thoughts and writings for thousands of years, and are our joint heritage today. We find it at the very heart of Christianity.

Virgo 8

Constellation de la Vierge.

Les alignements dessinant la Vierge sont peu suggestifs, l'image d'une Vierge est difficile à visualiser.

Le dos
Dans l'axe Spica - Delebola, on voit un alignement de trois petites étoiles θ, γ (Porrima) et η (Zaniah), conduisant à la tête de la Vierge, située sous la queue du Lion (Delebola).

La tête
Dans l'axe du dos, sous Delebola, on tombe sur Heze (ζ Vir) au sud, qui forme la nuque. La forme de la tête (entre Heze et Denebola) dépend beaucoup des conditions de visibilité.

Le bras
Partant de Vindemiatrix (ε Vir) en direction du Corbeau, on rencontre au coude Auva (δ Vir) et Porrima (γ Vir) à l'épaule.

La jambe
Partant de Spica en direction d'Arcturus, on tombe (un peu à droite) sur Heze (ζ Vir), le genoux. De là, la "juppe" de la Vierge s'étend vers l'Est, sans forme très convainquante.

There are two different types of observations that we make for stars and their "risings" and "settings". One is called "inferred" and the other "perceptible".
Certain types of rising and settings of stars must be inferred instead of observed, because the star is obscured by sunlight. These are used only by astronomers:

Cosmical rising: the star and the sun rise together. The star, of course, is obscured by the sun.

Cosmical setting: the star sets as the sun rises.
True achronychal rising: the star rises as the sun sets.
True achronychal setting: the star and sun set together.

But more for our interest is the perceptible risings and settings of stars. These risings and settings can be observed directly, and it is these which have played a part in calendars:
The heliacal rising: the first visible, though brief, appearance of a star on the eastern horizon before sunrise. On the previous morning, sunlight made the star invisible. When the rising of a star is spoken of, it is usually the heliacal rising that is meant. In ancient Egypt, the helical rising of Sirius coincided with the annual rising of the Nile at Memphis.

The heliacal setting: the last visible setting of a star at the evening twilight. On the following evening, the star will pass below the horizon while there is still too much sunlight for it to be seen.

The apparent achronychal rising: the last visible rising of a star in the evening twilight. On the following evening, the star will rise while there is still too much daylight for it to be seen.
the apparent cosmical setting: the first visible setting of a star in the morning twilight. On the previous morning, the star didn't quite reach the western horizon before sunlight made it invisible.

Matthew 2:2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

Matthew 2:7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.

Matthew 2:9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.

Matthew 2:10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

The Virgin birth aspect also comes from the observation that during certain ages the constellation of Virgo rose with the sun:
"At the moment of the Winter Solstice, the constellation Virgo, the Virgin, rose heliacally (with the Sun), having the Sun (Horus) in her bosom. . . . Virgo was Isis; and her representation, carrying a child (Horus) in her arms, exhibited in her temple, was accompanied by this inscription: "I AM ALL THAT IS, THAT WAS, AND THAT SHALL BE; and the fruit which I brought forth is the Sun" (Albert Pike, The Morals and Dogma of Scottish Rite Freemasonry, L.H. Jenkins, 1928, p. 455).

At the time of the birth of Christ, there were some very interesting alignments and appearances of stars that need to be noticed.
The Ancient calender also started at a different time. For those who did not begin their calendars with Capricorn, the Ancinents began their calendar in Virgo and ended in Leo, that is why the Sphynx has the head of a Virgin and the Body of a Lion. When the Sun of God was re-born at the Vernal equinox, it was for a while in the history of mankind in the Constellation of Virgo, so it was said the Sun or as the personified Son, that he was "Born of a Virgin". The Sun is the "Eye of God" or "Eye of Horus". Ra was the Sun God in Egypt. His full name was Amen Ra. That is why we say "A-men" after our prayers. The Egyptians knew this and all of the Egyptian beliefs and customs are built into our society secretly by the Freemasons.