Easter Above, Easter Below –Part V

Tympanum of the Romanic Church of St.Trophim

In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow. And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you (Matthew, 28, 1-7).

Surprising is also to notice several coincidences. First of all,  it’s worth wondering why the expression Easter is by itself pointing to the East, where the sun rises and travels along the wheel, Galil, during the year.

And three days after the Winter Solstice –21st, 22nd of December–, comes Christmas, wrongly attributed to the birth of the Judeo-Christian Messiah on the 25th, the date for the celebration of the birth of Mithras, Sol Invictus, the Unconquered Sun or Mythras. From that moment the sun begins its ascent again on the horizon, making the days longer and longer.

Coupled with this, it is relevant to see that when our beautiful Earth reaches its maximum tilt on its two solstices (Summer and Winter), it takes a while to start leaning towards the other way, while it rotates and travels around Helios. Consequently, during this period of "three days" the Sun rises at the same spot and gives the impression of remaining tied to a post, like someone “executed at the stake”. Hence the term "solstice", from the Latin roots “sol” (sun) and "stitium" (stoppage) or "sistere" (to remain).

Thus, it seems no coincidence that before the first solstice, the Gospel says the following:

For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Matthew 12:40).

Having reached the bottom and dwelled in Darkness for three days, the Solar Hero starts ascending again, “always forward”, leaving the sign of Capricorn behind on the horizon. 

In the nineteenth century some scholars thought this might be the meaning of the Jewish ritual of the two goats, on Yom Kippur. One is sacrificed, while the other is left free into the wilderness, where it climbs on the mountains, carrying away the sins of Israel. And since Jesus was called the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world (John I: 29), some interpreters regarded him as the "escapegoat" of the Jewish prophecies (Isaiah 53) [1]. 

In a sense, the goat climbing the mountain would refer to the Sun rising on the new sign. On January 20 Helios enters Aquarius, the Water Bearer –seemingly connected to the famous Son of Man, one of the apellatives of Jesus–. And eventually the He reaches Aries again, Spring, "Easter time", when all began. His resurrection is therefore completed through three signs of Darkness (still Winter), and these are in fact "three days of the Sun", what resonates with the "third day of resurrection". Thus, not even the date of this celebration seems random.

Now, the universe is also within us, because, as Plato explained in the Republic, there are actually three suns: the physical, the psychic fire and the spiritual. Therefore, the solar resurrection is a "rebirth" on three levels. One must die on psychic level, leaving behing the dark passions and the donkey-mind that keeps us tied to vicious circles. And the traveller is called to ride the donkey, as Jesus did in his triumphal entry. The ancient imagery went even further, since another Christian symbol –incomprehensible to many– is the "crucified ass":

Alexemenos Graffito (first century A.D)

Some believe this was a mockery of the figure of Jesus, but that does not seem the case, since there is another historical reference to the Christian worship of this symbol. Moreover, the same teaching existed in Egypt, where Seth was shown crucified, having the head of an ass. Andi it is logical, for he who laughs last, laughs best. In the end the situation is reversed, since the vertical domination of the two donkey stars that appeared in Cancer, disappears when Helios leaves Capricorn. This is perhaps the reason why ancient authors –i.e Plato and Porphyry [2]– regarded Cancer as the Gate of Man –where souls incarnate on earth–, and Capricorn as the Gate of the Gods –where souls return perfected to the Source–.

Most of Jesus' ministry remains untouched in these posts, although it is up to each one to discover the connections in the "soul", studying the four gospels. It is enlightening to see how Jesus' encounter with John the Baptist matches the symbolism of Aquarius, which is followed by Pisces, which is bound to Jesus recruiting his first disciples, "the fishermen".

Before closing Easter, it is worth noting that according to the Gospels, the coming of the Son of Man is a Second Coming of Spirit, and it also has three levels. The Gospels teach that every sincere seeker must receive its baptism of “water” (Psyche), to endure the baptism of Spirit (Pneuma) and that of Fire (Father, Aither). No doubt this is one of the most enigmatic and profound aspects of the teaching, as it is also related to a time that is yet to come, if it has not already begun.

This “internal knocking on the door" relates not to the annual clock we have seen, but to the "precessional" one, which was also marked with the twelve signs of the zodiac. It will surely emerge as a central theme in other posts. Now we just remember that each precessional or Platonic month lasts about 2160 years and receives a different a "solar influence", because the Sun crosses different regions of space travelling around another star, during the Platonic Year (24,000-25,920 years approx) [3] [4]. And according to the precession of the equinoxes, the earth is now abandoning the Platonic Month of Pisces –symbolized by the Christian fish–. However, even though the movement of the stars is measured mathematically, it seems that the solar influence on each Platonic Month always starts before the expected, as mirrored on the evolutive and involutive cycles of humanity. Reasonably, someone very wise said:

Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh (Matthew 25: 13)

In other words: hands to the plow.

We leave for next week the issue of the historical Jesus, which should be addressed from an unconventional viewpoint.

_____________________

For a bibliography on the topics covered in these series, it is best to read the ancient classics, sacred texts and XIXth century authors (i.e Robert Taylor, Kersey Graves, Frances Rolleston) and then draw the own conclusions. Although the following books were inspiring in this research:

1.Hamlet's Mill: An Essay Investigating the Origins of Human Knowledge and Its Transmission Through Myth. Hertha von Dechend and Giorgio de Santillana, 1969.

2.Serpent in the Sky: The High Wisdom of Ancient Egypt. John Anthony West.

3.The Hero With A Thousand Faces. Joseph Campbell.

4.The Power of Myth. Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers.

References:

[1].History of constellations, i.e Capricorn:

http://www.constellationsofwords.com/

[2].Explicitly in Porphyry's On the Cave of the Nymphs, and veiled in Plato's Timaeus and The Republic (book X, myth of Er).

[3].The Holy Science. Swami Sri Yukteswar (Vedic astronomy and parallelism between the Christian and Vedic teachings).

[4].Lost Star of Myth and Time. Walter Cruttenden (on the twin star, the sun’s companion).

Easter Above, Easter Below – Part IV

After the crucifixion,

When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple: he went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed (Matthew 27, 56-60).

If we remember, in the astronomical level of understanding, Helios is sacrificed at the Ninth hour, pierced by the arrow of Sagittarius, the sign of the ninth month, November. At his death, Helios descends completely into the bowels of the underworld, the tomb of the Gospel. We are on Winter Solstice, December 21st, point of maximum darkness, shortest day of the year, marked on the sky by Capricorn, the tenth sign –hence December, from the Latin root Deca, ten, was always the tenth month, not the twelfth–. Naturally, this is consistent with the symbolism of Ten, which is the symbol of "completeness", as Pythagoras taught.

And with regard to the underworld, we emphasize it  has a "purifying" character rather than a frightening one. Many ancient cultures describe this dark stage as a journey in which the traveller meets "guardians" that either prey on the weak souls that only consist of lower passions, and therefore lack "spirit", or help the divine-human souls to get rid of the last remnants of dirt, so that these can ascend to the regions of Light. In Egypt and India these guardians were represented with the figure of a Crocodile or a Hippo, or a mixture of both, and these animals were associated with the hybrid sign of the Sea-Goat, Capricorn, also symbol of the "dual nature" of the psyche. It is curious to see how Leonardo Da Vinci himself seems to have mirrored this imagery on the painting we saw before yesterday, the Last Supper, in which the apostle that would correspond to Capricorn makes a peculiar gesture with both arms. What part of a crocodile is it reminiscent of?

Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation [Sabbath, Saturday], the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, saying: Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive: After three days I will rise again.Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead  (Matthew 27: 62-64).

And now that the tomb of our Solar Hero has been completely sealed, we can only wait until tomorrow,  to continue with the story. We shall then see how the process takes a surprising twist, where the beginning and end meet, where the stars blend into our soul and open the door to a future of true Hope.

Easter Above, Easter Below – Part III

Mosaic pavement in Synagogue at Beth Alpha, Israel (6th century)

Public Domain, Wikipedia

Good Friday. The solar hero, Lamb of God, is led to his "sacrifice":

And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said Jesus: Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do (Luke 23: 33, 34).

Such an attitude of unconditional forgiveness is another way to illustrate the essence of the Christian teaching, which very few are able to practice truly. In ancient times the true Christians were those who before being killed by the Romans, or even by the Roman Church itself, still had enough power inside to release a last good wish for the slayer: pax tibi, the peace be with you. The Cathars of the Middle Ages were a great example.

This is the reason why the act of considering oneself a Christian can be extremely pretentious in many cases. It is much more prudent and humble to think that at most we can just "aspire to be".

Anecdotes aside, we focus now on the ancient mosaic shown above. As we can see, the Sun appears at the centre, in the middle of four figures, the four cardinal points. And if we look at it from the perspective of the crucifixion, then it seems too coincidental that Christ is said to be crucified between two malefactors, for, as we can see in the mosaic, when the Sun arrives at the Vernal Equinox on the horizon –in Capricorn, which appears almost erased in the mosaic–, to the right He has the Spring Equinox of Aries, and to his left, the Autumn Equinox of Libra, right below Virgo, the Virgin or Mother, as we remarked yesterday. A passage seems to be a explicit reference to this: Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene (John 19: 25). Furthermore, if we add the Summer Solstice in Cancer, at the top, the four corners of the Earth make a perfect cross, the Cross of Matter, the path of Helios, the Sun. 

Formerly the four evangelists –Matthew, Mark, Luke and John– were associated with these four cardinal points, which were also seen as the axes of a Cosmic Clock –both for the Solar System and the Galaxy–. In fact, the cosmic hours or seasons were marked by dividing a circle into four quadrants with three segments each (for months and zodiacal signs). And since the seasonal calendar starts with  Aries –three o´clock in the mosaic–, this sign would be the First hour, or Prima –in Spain we refer to Spring as Primavera–. Accordingly, the Summer would come at the end of the Third hour or Tertia, where Cancer begins; Autumn, at the end of the Sixth (Sexta), beginning of the Seventh (Septima, September) –around nine o´clock in the mosaic– etc. And somehow this seems to match with the following passage:

And it was the third hour, and they crucified him... And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Mark 15: 25, 33, 34).

 The Ninth hour (Nona) comes in November, when the days are much shorter than in Summer, as the Sun rises less from the horizon and sets earlier. "Oh, Light of Helios, why has thou forsaken us?". Such Darkness grows even further during the Tenth hour, the Winter Solstice, when the earth lives the shortest day of the year –near six o´clock in the mosaic–.

Nevertheless, we should never forget that this vision has several levels of understanding. Now the Sun is below Cancer and the Asses, which stay on the  vertical extreme, above, as if these ruled over the situation, what has a deep psychological meaning. At this stage the inner traveller suffers moments of despair and dejection, a certain "sour taste of life”:

And some of them that stood by, when they heard it, said: Behold, he calleth Elias. And one ran and filled a spunge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink saying, Let alone; let us see whether Elias will come to take him down (Mark 15: 35, 36).

Yet the hero does not give up amidst the vital acidity:

They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink (Matthew 27: 34).

Returning to the astronomical level, vinegar represents the time when the Sun leaves Libra, the sign of September,  the Wine season. Thus, in the Gospel of John, after tasting the vinegar slightly, Jesus says: It is finished. An allusion to the inescapable prophetic cycle, since the Sun continues its descent into the Inferno (Hell) or Inverno (Winter), when there is no more “wine”, for it has become “vinegar”, and red leaves adopt a brownish yellow colour and fall from the trees, when the Solar Hero finally receives the "kiss of death" –associated with the Scorpion, Judas– and the "arrow" of Sagittarius, Spear of Longinos. If we look at the Zodical diagram, nothing seems random, not even the Gospel:

Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs. But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water (John 19: 32, 34).

Again, from the psycho-spiritual level, this can be seen as an inevitable consequence of living in the Cross of Matter, where we suffer the stings of "passion", "disease" and "death"; a death that should not only be physical but also internal. In moments of suffering one can only rely on the Highest and let go of the miserable ego that clings to the lower matter:

Jesus called out with a loud voice: “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit”. When he had said this, he breathed his last (Luke 23: 46).

Thus the passion ends, and there is hope for us to continue with Easter in the following posts.

© Copyright 2013

Easter Above, Easter Below –Part II

The Last Supper, by Leonardo Da Vinci (1490)

We arrive to Holy Thursday, which starts with the act of "washing of the feet" performed by Jesus on his disciples, before the Last Supper. This ritual was widespread in the East, but was usually done by servants. With it Jesus exemplified his teaching:

If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet (John 13: 14). On one hand he emphasizes the central message that he communicates later: A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another (John 13: 34). On the other hand, this refers to a very important aspect, namely, the need to help one another to see and overcome our weaknesses in the inner journey, "washing each other’s dirt".

In ancient Egypt this ritual of “washing the feet” had a purifying character, and it was performed on the Pharao, in the context of “preparation for death”. The aspirant must leave all earthly burdens behind before dying:

The King says: I have bathed with Ra [the Sun] on the Lake of junks. The priest replies: Horus [son of the Sun] has purified your flesh, O king; Thoth has washed your feet, oh Shu lift the King up, oh Nut give your hand to the King (Pyramid Text 519).

The final announcement of death in our story happens after this ritual. Jesus and the twelve sit around the table and as they did eat, he said: Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me (Matthew 26: 21). We should already guess what that means, after what was pointed yesterday. But in order to make the journey even more exciting, let´s pay attention to the famous painting of Da Vinci, above. As one would expect, this advanced man knew the ancient Wisdom and left no room for doubt. If we look at the picture we will notice that the disciples are grouped into four trios, one for each season. And paying more attention we see that each one mirrors the main characteristics of the a zodiacal sign. Here we have some clues, the rest, for the seeker. In Wikipedia it is possible to observe each zone in detail:

Starting from left to right, we have the three signs of Spring. What’s the colour of that distinctive garment worn by the apostle over the blue one? Isn´t it reminiscent of a Shepherd’s clothing? May the form of the banquette’s paw, down on the left, be an allusion to the Ram? 

The next apostle seems to have a disproportionate neck and his right hand is resting on a shoulder. Coincidentally, neck and shoulders are associated with Taurus, the sign of Leonardo Da Vinci himself, that even resembles the apostle of the picture.

Thirdly we see someone whose hands seem to reflect the duality and complementarity of male and female. Which sign comes after Taurus?

Now the Summer group, which we mentioned yesterday. Isn´t it strange the posture in which the apostle holds the knife with his right hand? Does the knife look like a crab’s paw? Perhaps, and what’s more, if it were placed under the left hand, both hands would be almost like the famous inclined 69, characteristic of Cancer. And what can be said about the left hand of the apostle that is in front? Does it not seem like a claw? And he is looking at what appears to be a ...woman? Who is she?

To the left of Jesus we have the groups of Autumn and Winter, but we now leave curiosity do the rest and focus on the supper:

During the meal Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: Take, eat, this is my body. And he took a cup and giving thanks: Drink ye all ... (Matthew Chapter 26).

Bread and wine. A frugal meal with several meanings. Which one fits into the astro-theological context?

In order to understand the cycles of the sun in tune with the zodiacal signs we should remember the seasonal stages, which are less known today, because people buy in supermarkets and children begin to believe that vegetables are manufactured by a man in blue uniform behind a refrigerating chamber full of boxes or that bread comes from plastic bags. 

Formerly everyone knew that Summer is the harvest season, associated with the Mother, known as Demeter or Virgin. And Virgo precedes Libra, the Balance, which marks not only a "Final Judgement", but it is the House of the Sun on September, the Wine season. In Spain and Italy some people know this well because there is a good tradition of wine.

Libra marks the beginning of the Autumnal Equinox, the point in which the Sun "descends" into Darkness and the days get shorter and shorter, and the Autumnal leaves of the trees turn red; red like Wine, like the sea Moses "crossed" with his fellow Hebrews. In other words, the Water that Aquarius and Pisces brought for the Spring of Aries is “miraculously” transformed into Wine, as Jesus did in the wedding at Cana, after his Mother said there was no wine (John II). 

At this point Helios seems sold out. It is thus comprehensible that Jesus was betrayed by Judas and delivered to the Romans, for the price of... how many silver coins?, how many degrees ocuppy each Zodiacal sign? Dividing 360º ​​by 12 we get the answer.

Of course, this is just a "level of interpretation", beyond the literal one. To remain here is to understand nothing, for Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. We need to delve into the "psycho-spiritual" level as well because each seeker is called to become a solar hero, and thus participate in Solar Consciousness or Christ. This also means that in life the traveller is also “betrayed by the selfish passions” and the "donkey-mind", and have to experience “falls”, like the sun does every year. But the hero falls seven times and stands up eight. In the upcoming articles we will continue investigating that, as well as the possible clues that may indicate the existence of a historical Jesus, or at least someone who later received such an appellative.

Easter Above, Easter Below – Part I

Pietro Lorenzetti (1320)

Public Domain Picture from Wikipedia

Silence and contemplation are of course important, yet the mind also needs "food for thought". And since an important aspect of inner development is the process of understanding the cycles of evolution mirrored on sacred art, today we open a series of posts in order to look into a very ancient and important question: 

All sacred scriptures have at least seven levels of interpretation that complement each other and can help us to know ourselves. One of these levels was re-discovered by scholars such as Volney, Depuis and Kersey Graves during the XVIIIth and XIXth centuries and studied under the name of "astro-theology". And we will now approach it within the context of the Christian Easter, in synchrony with the spiritual interpretation, leaving also an open door for the historical Jesus, question that will be addressed later:

With some keys, it is rather easy to follow the stories of the Gospels as a perfect image of the Sun’s Journey along the path of the Ecliptic, the legenday Hero’s Journey which also takes place within us. As Above, so Below, said the Hermetists; On Earth as it is in Heaven, the Christian prayer.

Several of the solar stages are represented in Easter time, which begins with Palm Sunday –four days ago this year–. In the King James' version of the New Testament, Matthew, Chapter 21, it starts as follows:

1 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, 2 Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied , and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. 3 And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say , The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. 4 All this was done , that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying , 5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold , thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass and a colt, the foal of an ass. 6 And the disciples went , and did as Jesus commanded them, 7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon . 8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. 9 And the multitudes that went before , and that followed , cried , saying , Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. 

When we read this text holding a certain key, things fall easily into place, even the apparent contradictions between the synoptic Gospels. In principle it may be annoying to find that the Gospel of Mark begins this  episode with a little variation on the text that even  makes scholars think the writer ignored the geography. In Mark Ch 9:1 we read:  and when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives.

Why did he intoduced Bethany? To make it short, this was possibly done to get the reader’s attention, since it can perfectly be read as Bethanu, a Semithic translation of House of Anu, the Egyptian god of Heliopolis, City of the Sun. 

But, more importanly, we should notice that Jesus’ ministry begins at the age of "twelve" and lasts one year, that is, twelve months, exactly the time the Sun takes to cross –from an observational viewpoint– the Twelve Houses of the Zodiac. Coincidently, the Gospels present Jesus saying things such as: In my Father's house are many mansions (John Ch14:2); I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life (John Ch 8:12) or I am the Way (John Ch 14:6). 

Furthermore, Jesus chooses "twelve disciples" and his ministry unfolds around the so called sea of Galilee –name possibly derived from the Hebrew word Galil (circle), reminiscent of the zodiacal wheel; additionally, ancient authors like Porphyry already pointed that the expression “sea of Galilee” is strange, since in Galilee there is only a lake known as Tiberias. Therefore, in this context, the term "sea" might hint at what mythical traditions refer to as Celestial Waters, which are to be found on the Firmament. The great work Hamlet's Mill presents many examples of similar characteristics.

Having said this, we should remember that the passage above starts making reference to “Jerusalem”, place where they went; previous to that, Jesus announced his future passion "three times", and after the first one Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light (Matthew Ch17: 12).

Let’s now wonder why right before entering the city of Jerusalem Jesus meets “two sons of Zebedee” and cures “two blind men”, during his “ascent to Jerusalem”.  What is Jerusalem? Why “two” blindmen in Matthew and “one” in Mark? Who are the Two? There we leave these questions open for those who are curious and want to find out by themselves.

For now let’s simply focus on the order given by Jesus to, again, "two disciples": Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her.  What is that village over against you?

Later on, Jesus advances triunfally among the crowd sitting upon an ass and an colt. What? Sitting upon both animals? What kind of manners are those? Who would do such a silly thing? Some scholars see here  a simple "emphatic expression" that means he was sitting on a donkey, accompanied by a colt. In many translations that phrase is even altered, since many interpreters, more clever than anyone, dare to change or even erase what does not support their doctrine.

Now, what if we are really invited to look into such an “oddity”? Especially when this is stressed in Mark: And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. 

It has also been said that this is a prophetical fulfilment: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation: lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass (Zechariah Ch 9: 9).

Contradictions and non-sensical images are always a “hint” in sacred art. The Bible is saturated with odd phrases, and coincidently, all "prophecies" and "riddles" seem to make sense when seen as  psychological, mathematical and cosmological views that can never generate confusion and disputes:

To give some examples. Once the Sun crosses the Spring Equinox, it ascends from Aries, the Ram, still as Lamb, of God, but growing in strengh, radiating the fields that are plowed with the help of Oxen, Taurus –the psychological and earthly soils must be always prepared so that the seeds to grow–,  and finally the Sun reaches a Splendour at its highest point on the sky, on June 21st, bringing the longest days and inaugurating the Summer Solstice, Hosanna in the highest, which sounds very much like, “Horus, Sun in the Highest”.

In astronomical terms this corresponds to the moment in which the sun enters the House of Cancer, the Crab. From that point onwards the Sun keeps moving across Leo –another symbol of Jesus, who was also called "victorious" Lion of the Tribe of Judah, to which he belonged (Rev Ch5: 5)–. Why victorious?

This retrograde action of leaving the Solstitial splendour behind, moving towards the Autumnal Equinox, was simbolized by the sideways movement of the Crab, namely, Cancer, a rather faint constellation that curiously gives shelter to two prominent stars,  known in ancient days as “asselus borealis” and “asselus australis”, the “two asses”; interestingly enough, the sign of the Crab was also represented with two donkey tails that seem to form the number 69. And these “donkeys” are close to a bright cluster of stars known as Beehive or Manger –Praesepe in Latin–. It is too much of a coincidence that a couple of asses reappear later, during the birth of Jesus, at the manger, –perhaps as a reminder of the whole process that led to his Death and Resurrection–. 

On the other hand, from a spiritual point of view, these pictures point to the way of knowing and conquering the stubborn "donkey mind" that is afraid of following the higher commands of the inner Divinity. It does not seem coincidence that in the English language, the donkey is also designated with the word that points to the lowest part of the human being, as anyone can guess.

As we can see, true art does not show anything randomly. Nevertheless, despite it is true that the Gospels are full of striking parallelisms like these and their whole story can be read in psychological, mathematical and cosmological terms, the view of "astro-theology" has become central for many scholars who tend to think the Christian myth was a “forgery” contrived to rule over the masses. However, this is an oversimplification, since these teachings are still a tool of inner transformation and could never be forged by tyrans. 

Moreover, it is necessary to distinguish between the idea of the Christ –which is an “archetype of Consciousness” rather than a person–, and the possibility of existence of a historical man that may have embodied such a level of inner development at a particular place and point in time, for a specific reason, as several traditions defend. Hopefully we will examine this issue in the following Easter posts.