Back
ASTROLOGY in the BIBLE
Two
In the first article of this series, you saw how Bamidbahr (Numbers) showed that Gad (Aries) is the first sign of the zodiac, or perhaps it is more proper to say "the tribal patriarch representing the first sign of the zodiac". Since the signs were also the months in ancient times, Gad also represented the first month of the year. But, actually, it should be mentioned that there were two beginnings of the year. There was the first beginning after the winter solstice when the sun was reborn in Capricorn, and there was the official year's beginning after the vernal equinox in Aries.
There were four seasons, each three months long. There was Aries, Taurus, and Gemini, with Taurus as the fixed sign representing spring. There was Cancer, Leo, and Virgo, with Leo as the fixed sign representing summer. There was Libra, Scorpio, and Sagittarius, with Scorpio as the fixed sign representing fall. And there was Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces, with Aquarius as the fixed sign representing winter. Probably, the reason the fixed signs were chosen as they were had to do with the fact that each was at the center of its season.
As we go through the sequence of tribes given in the second chapter of Bamidbahr, we see that the place of each tribe is described. In the east, the direction of the rising sun, encamps Judah, meaning praised. In Genesis 49 Judah is described as the lion's whelp. Translated from Hebrew, we see regarding Judah, After having feasted upon his prey, he lies down, rests, and, making the sounds of a sated lion, who would dare trouble him? So Judah is the patriarch of the tribe which represents Leo, the sign that is ruled by the sun.
Next to Judah is encamped the tribe of Issachar, meaning he brings wages. And in Genesis 49 we see Issachar is a strong ass crouching down between two burdens (the donkey of those times carried a sort of yoke which held two loads of about equal weight, one on each side). And he saw that rest was good and the land that it was pleasant, and he bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a wage earner. This describes Virgo, the ministrator, the one who works for a wage, and the natural ruler of the sixth house (house of service to others).
On the other side of Judah is encamped Zebulun, meaning habitation from the Hebrew root word meaning to dwell. In Genesis 49, we see Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea, and he shall be a haven for ships (bay), and his border shall be unto Zidon (the center). Indeed, Cancer is ruled by the moon, and is the sign of the sea (universal subconsciousness). Each of us has a Cancer/moon bay (personal subconsciousness) which connects with the ocean and from there to the center of the universal subconsciousness. And since the subconscious is the architect of our bodies and our bodies are our habitations, Zebulun which means habitation, is a good name for Cancer. And, of course, Cancer relates to the fourth house (home and property).
Reuben is the central tribe of the next group of three. Reuben means behold from a root word meaning to see, to exist, to live. In Genesis 49, Jacob says, Reuben thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power. What better way to describe the sign which steadfastly finishes whatever it begins until a result exists and can be beheld, a sign whose symbol is the bull? Reuben is Taurus, an earth plane sign, a sign which causes ideas to solidly manifest. Reuben (Taurus) also stands for the first season of the year.
Next we go counterclockwise from Reuben just as we did from Judah. And the next tribe mentioned is Simeon which is what we call Gemini. Gad follows on the clockwise side of Reuben. And so the pattern is established with the fixed sign central, the next sign on the counterclockwise side, and the sign following on the clockwise side. Ephraim is Aquarius, Manasseh is Pisces, Benjamin is Capricorn, Dan is Scorpio, Asher is Sagittarius, and Naphtali is Libra. Each will be discussed in detail later in this series.
Notice now that two of the three sequences given for the tribes begin with Reuben, the fixed sign for spring, so in one sequence, the spring and summer subgroups have been interchanged.
Using the order given along with the numbers of fighting men found in Bamidbahr, chapters one and two, we can construct a twelve-piece pie. We can reduce the numbers of fighting men to one digit such as Gad's 45,650 (4+5+6+5+0=20 and 2+0=2), and we have the single digit numbers in the following.
Now we see that both Reuben (Taurus) and Dan (Scorpio) are given a value of six and these signs are opposed. If we add the two sixes of the opposing signs, we have twelve (6+6=12), the number of signs in the zodiac.
Naphtali and Benjamin are both given a value of three and are squaring signs. There are four signs that can be set up as squares at once (grand cross). If each of the four were valued at three, and the four values added, we would have twelve again (3+3+3+3=12).
Manasseh and Zebulun are given values of seven. They are trining signs. If the third trining sign were brought in with another seven, we would have twenty-one (7+7+7=21) which is the two and one in twelve reversed. This reversing is not uncommon in this ancient technique of coding.
Simeon and Judah are values of eight and are sextiling signs. If each of the other sextiling signs were given values of eight, we would have six eights (8+8+8+8+8+8=48) for a value of forty-eight which reduces to a value of twelve (4+8=12).
Now that we have finished with them, we can remove the sixes, threes, sevens, and eights. And we can remove Gad's number which is two and probably stands for the last major aspect, the conjunction. Since we know for sure that the opposition, the square, the trine, and the sextile have been shown, it is logical that the conjunction also appears and should either be given the number two (for two planets in the same sign) or the number one because one times twelve is twelve. If we assume it is the number two, the unused numbers that remain are one, four, and nine. If we assume it is the number one, the unused numbers that remain are two, four, and nine.
If we assume that the conjunction is represented by the number nine, the remaining numbers would be one, two, and four. These numbers would show the octave nature of the zodiac, as going up one octave - or once around the zodiac doubles the frequency found at any starting point. And one, two, and four is a series of doublings. In fact, if there is no attempt to show the conjunction, and we use the remaining series of one, two, four, and nine, we still have a series of doublings plus the nine, which is often used as we use zero, to signify nothing. This is because nine drops out during any reduction process.
The ancients equated the musical scale to astrology and this is a very lengthy subject that is part of the book, Astrology - The Music of Life. One of the keys to knowing the correct frequencies in each musical octave lay in the knowledge that octaves are doublings with each note in between expressed as a ratio that is a root of the number two (tempered scale). I believe Gad, the beginning sign, has the number two here to show that each time around the zodiac we have a doubling, and to signify the importance of roots of two. Thus, we can eliminate the number two, it being used to show the preceding, and that gives us a series of one, four, and nine remaining.
The first three primes are one, two, and three. These can also stand for the three physical dimensions of the earth plane. If we square these numbers (multiply each times itself), we have the series one, four, and nine. Their product is thirty-six (1x4x9=36). If we now include Gad's two, we have seventy-two (1x4x9x2=72) or twice thirty-six. If we add seventy-two and thirty-six, we have one hundred eight (72+36=108). And 36 compared to 72 compared to 108 is the same as 1:2:3. In the pentagram, the ancient symbol for the life force, there are three angles: 36o, 72o, and 108o. Also, 1+4+9=14 and 1+4=5. Five is the number of the life force at one level and humanity at a lesser level. The ancients considered humanity to be the mediator between the Creator and Nature, the steward or caretaker of the garden. This all seems to tie everything back to the zodiac having a lot to do with humanity - even though humanity is no longer a proper caretaker of the garden.