|
Exegesis Volume 09 Issues #021-030 |
exegesis Digest Thu, 03 Jun 2004 Volume: 09 Issue: 021
In This Issue:
#1: Subject: [e] planetary
archetypes
From: Robert Tulip
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [e] planetary archetypes
From: Robert Tulip
Date: Fri, 4 Jun 2004 09:59:13 +1000
Glad to see the recent discussion on the status of archetypes.
Some great
material on this topic can be found in Erin Sullivan's
Saturn in Transit
and Liz Greene's The Astrology of Fate.
My belief is that there is a resonance between real planetary
energies and
the mythic frames the old stories developed around them,
and that this
resonance can be explained as a natural product of evolutionary
biology. I
put it forward as a logical proposition that because
the planetary cycles
have been constant for the four billion years of life
on earth, and all
genes have evolved under their influence, our genes
naturally resonate to
the archetypal energies of the planets. The ancient
stories about Pluto,
Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury and Saturn coalesced towards
an articulation
of the character of the planetary energies which astrology
describes. I
believe these energies have shaped human consciousness
and culture in a
structural way, providing 'the niche of the world' understood
in scientific
evolutionary terms.
I would be interested to hear views on the astrological
meaning of the
forthcoming transit of Venus on June 8. Like a
lunar eclipse this transit
has immense power, as the first time the sun, Venus and
earth have been in
a direct line since 1882. For Australia it is particularly
important with
Cook's observation in 1769 in Tahiti leading directly
to the British
settlement of New South Wales. This coming transit,
and the next one in
2012, imply a focussing of the power of love.
Details on the transit may be found at
http://www.astronomy.org.au/ngn/media/client/factsheet_15.pdf
Robert Tulip
------------------------------
End of exegesis Digest V9 #21
exegesis Digest Fri, 04 Jun 2004 Volume: 09 Issue: 022
In This Issue:
#1: From: "Dennis Frank"
Subject: [e] Re: exegesis
Digest V9 #20
#2: From: "Roger L. Satterlee"
Subject: [e] Re: exegesis
Digest V9 #21
#3: From: "Kevin v"
Subject: [e] Re: exegesis
Digest V9 #21
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Dennis Frank"
Subject: [e] Re: exegesis Digest V9 #20
Date: Fri, 4 Jun 2004 21:13:30 +1200
Quite reasonable objections Kevin...
> I just do not follow your reasoning. You start with
an "obvious"
> reading, and you end up stating that the birth time
should be rectified
> to support your "obvious" reading, which certainly
smacks of "I'm right,
> don't both me with the facts." =20
Yes, I understand how it would seem like that to you.
No doubt Dale Huckeby
would support this objection, it being one he often makes.
Unfortunately,
however, there is no fact other than the reported time.
I have seen plenty
of circumstantial evidence that has persuaded me that
birth times reported
are frequently later than the event, which statistically
seems to suggest a
mean lateness of about 10 minutes. The many large-scale
Gauquelin
statistical findings, for instance, where the peaks lie
about 10 minutes of
diurnal rotation past the Asc & MC.
> More confounding is that you support your entire reading
upon the MC of
> a birth time that is at least questionable. It was
supplied third hand
> with an earliest reference in time being 32 years after
his birth
> (1979). Others have rectified the time to a difference
of as eight hours
> in order to support their predictions. To me this is
all ludicrous. If
> the Trine of Venus to Jupiter is as you state "the
weakest part of the
> configuration", then the Trine to the MC is utterly
insubstantial as the
> defining aspect which holds together a configuration
that defeats all
> other interpretations. What am I not seeing clearly
here?
I don't think it is anything you are not seeing clearly.
It merely reflects
our different experiences with astrology. My opinions
were initially based
on an intuitive assessment of the astrological sources
I read in '80/'81,
but have tended to evolve according to the results of
my observations of the
match between theory & reality ever since.
I am not seeking to persuade you
that I'm right, merely asserting my opinion!
If my logic seems illogical to you, so be it. I
believe my opinion is based
on quite a lot of empirical evidence, but I cannot verify
that to others.
When I believe it concurs with a consensus of other astrologers,
I normally
refer to the approximate extent of that, but this to
is merely a subjective
impression I have formed.
As regards the birth-time, the data was given by him to
a colleague of
ex-AFA president Doris Chase Doane in 1979, and Lois
Rodden gives it an A
rating.
Arnie became Mr Universe 5 times. For an Austrian
immigrant with no film
experience to leap-frog the multitude of contenders to
Hollywood
superstardom in just a few short years, and then remain
a megastar with no
career set-backs, suggests an extremely well-configured
midheaven. For that
to translate to reaching the pinnacle of political power
in his very first
move into a political career demonstrates that his midheaven
works this
magic for him regardless of the field in which he operates
(proven in 3
different fields so far). Even now, Republican
strategists will be
calculating how soon they can run him for the presidency.
Republican
astrologer Joan Quigley, who helped Reagan, will have
advised her contacts
of his awesome potential. It's just a question
of how fast her advice
circulates.
Should I therefore predict that he will become president?
You bet I should.
Fate can never be ruled out, however, and powerful forces
are currently at
work against him (Pluto transiting opposite his Mars).
If he survives the
current period, look to the transit of Uranus over his
Midheaven (in a few
years time) to catalyse his emergence onto the global
political stage.
Dennis
------------------------------
From: "Roger L. Satterlee"
Subject: [e] Re: exegesis Digest V9 #21
Date: Fri, 4 Jun 2004 10:24:44 -0400
Robert,
What I am perhaps too often suggesting is
the oxymoronic increase of
minimalism...:) More of less, works for me..:)
Because I see all human
expression as some type of creative fiction, which may
or may not have an
incidentally objective value, I look at all symbolic
material, say, from Lex
Luthor's (Gene Hackman) "secrets of the universe
on a gum wrapper" to
Tolstoys "War and Peace", with an eye for what
planetary "energies" that
are being exhibited--as if planets in aspects were alchemical
formulas being
expressed as language and images. I assume that
if natal planets in aspects
are a potential formula for our character, and resonant
preferences, then
all that we say and do--all of what we choose as being
representative
seemingly significant, can be seen as an attempt of the
native to
*personally* identify with "otherness"--thus to exist.
I see the drive to cite a personal preference
of any kind as an
expression of a person's need to exist, and the process
of becoming a human
being is thus accomplished by making personal links to
our collective
"reality." Therefore, all communication is
seen as participating in the
personal Myth of one's own Being-ness. Most persons
seem uncomfortable with
this kind of thinking because it requires that we, as
inquirers of the world
at large, must stand as naked as the emperor in his invisible
new clothes.
Our intimate desires for a personal connection with all
things seemingly
objective and thus outside ourselves--all "otherness",
must be confessed
openly if we are to actually take part in life as a defined
individual
being.
We can apparently use astrology as
a kind of shorthand method of making
generalized connection for what-goes-with-what-and-why.
We can see our natal
chart as the formula for our reactions to life's seeming
endless store of
themes and variations. Astrological thinking is completely
artificial, but
it does seem holistic and algebraic--not temporally linear
and confined
desciptions of life as a mountain of hard to organize
specific facts. In
short "if" there is any validity to the astrological
natal chart, it is the
biasing radix of our choices for creating any and all
personal connection to
all else. So you see I suggest Myth is actually the reality
we each live in
an through. Our collective human natures provide a general
background, a
stage, for our attempted individual performance. Frankly,
it may be that
only a few of us get to be a solo artist in such a grand
production....:)
>I put it forward as a logical proposition that because
the planetary cycles
> have been constant for the four billion years of life
on earth, and all
> genes have evolved under their influence, our
genes naturally resonate to
> the archetypal energies of the planets. The ancient
stories about Pluto,
> Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Mercury and Saturn coalesced
towards an articulation
> of the character of the planetary energies which astrology
describes. I
> believe these energies have shaped human consciousness
and culture in a
> structural way, providing 'the niche of the world'
understood in
scientific
> evolutionary terms.
I hope you can see why I don't feel the need to
restrict my attention to
Myths about planets and so forth.
>
> I would be interested to hear views on the astrological
meaning of the
> forthcoming transit of Venus on June 8. Like
a lunar eclipse this transit
> has immense power, as the first time the sun, Venus
and earth have been in
> a direct line since 1882. For Australia it is
particularly important with
> Cook's observation in 1769 in Tahiti leading directly
to the British
> settlement of New South Wales. This coming transit,
and the next one in
> 2012, imply a focussing of the power of love.
It's my personal hope , desire, dream, whatever,
that a entire school of
archetypal astrology will emerge as one which catagorically
rejects the
notion that human being can use astrology to make predictions.
There seems quite enough of the miraculous, awe
inspiring wonder, in
noticing the patterns of individual choices. Example:
"Pressure makes
diamonds."--G. S. Patton , natal t-square = Venus opposite
Saturn with
Jupiter and Uranus conjunct at the focal midpoint. To
predict the Patton
quote is not possible of course, why should we bother
with that obviously
self-deluding process at all?
Rog
So much to say, so little time...:)
------------------------------
From: "Kevin v"
Subject: [e] Re: exegesis Digest V9 #21
Date: Fri, 4 Jun 2004 13:51:59 -0400
Robert Tulip,
You state: "My belief is that there is a resonance between
real
planetary energies and the mythic frames the old stories
developed
around them, and that this resonance can be explained
as a natural
product of evolutionary biology. I put it forward
as a logical
proposition that because the planetary cycles have been
constant for the
four billion years of life on earth, and all genes have
evolved under
their influence, our genes naturally resonate to the
archetypal energies
of the planets."
Because you frame your proposition in term of 'logic',
how do you
logically connect the influence of planetary cycles to
the process of
evolutionary biology? There are after all many things
that have been
occurring for four billion years, but it is the nature
of the connection
between them that determines their meaning. I can understand
seeing one
pattern and then seeing another, but to logically connect
them requires
more than homological reasoning. How do you conceive
this 'natural
resonance' of the genes, and what do you imagine the
path by which the
planetary energies (the archetypes) are manifested on
the genetic level?
With care, Kevin
End of exegesis Digest V9 #22
exegesis Digest Sat, 05 Jun 2004 Volume: 09 Issue: 023
In This Issue:
#1: From: "Kevin v"
Subject: [e] Re: exegesis
Digest V9 #22
#2: From: dearbornhair
Subject: [e] Re: arnold
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Kevin v"
Subject: [e] Re: exegesis Digest V9 #22
Date: Sat, 5 Jun 2004 08:58:43 -0400
Dennis,
"If my logic seems illogical to you, so be it. I
believe my opinion is
based on quite a lot of empirical evidence, but I cannot
verify that to
others. When I believe it concurs with a consensus of
other astrologers,
I normally refer to the approximate extent of that, but
this to is
merely a subjective impression I have formed.
As regards the birth-time, the data was given by him to
a colleague of
ex-AFA president Doris Chase Doane in 1979, and Lois
Rodden gives it an
A rating."
The problem is not that you formed an opinion from a chart,
but that you
stated that your opinion was 'glaringly obvious' and
formed it as an
attack upon another astrologer's opinion, despite using
an immensely
wide trine and a focal point that moves a degree every
four minutes for
a birthtime that is not certain. A birthtime remembered
by a client
thirty years or so after his birth under whatever circumstances
we don't
know could be off by ten minutes, an hour, or the unfortunate
am/pm
switch, or it he may not ever have had a proper source
himself. It then
passes through several hands, and is only preserved in
a note. The "A"
rating by Rodden, does not mean "A" as in excellent,
but rather "A" as
in not "C" which is dubious. A "B" rating is actually
often more
supportable than an "A", which is basically hearsay.
An "A" rating is a
catch all for all sorts of birthtimes. There is of course
nothing wrong
with reading a chart with an "A" rating but stacking
your reading upon
the angles is a bit more than precarious, particularly
one such as this.
The point beyond all this quibbling for me is that before
we attack the
methods of other astrologers with our own methodologies,
we should at
least look at the ground from which we are speaking,
and ask is this
common ground. Your reading of Arnold made quite of few
assumptions and
on those assumptions assertions, so if we are not going
to engage in
combative Clairvoyantism... perhaps we should take a
more detached view
when universalizing our readings and banishing others'.
As you wrote
" For instance, anyone can see why Arnold Schwarzeneggar
always has
effortless career success. Jupiter trine the Midheaven
alone is
normally sufficient to elevate people to social prominence,
but his is
in double grand trine with Mercury & Venus rising,
so he gets there via
mouth and charm. Jupiter in the 5th provides good
luck in
entertainment, performance & creative self-express
as the basis for the
elevation of status. Once you see the chart, this
is all glaringly
obvious. But it could only become objectively true
if other astrologers
agreed with the explanation. Instead, they prefer
to try and find other
reasons.
For instance, people who think astrology works via rulerships
will dream
up some bullshit rulership scheme that is so implausible
that even other
astrologers who believe in rulerships will reject it,
instead
constructing another scheme of their own, equally incredible."
Sincerely, Kevin
------------------------------
Date: Sat, 5 Jun 2004 23:21:05 -0700 (PDT)
From: dearbornhair
Subject: [e] Re: arnold
I dont believe he can become president, being from
another country.
sd
End of exegesis Digest V9 #23
exegesis Digest Sun, 06 Jun 2004 Volume: 09 Issue: 024
In This Issue:
#1: From: "Janie Axtell"
Subject: [e] Astrology defined
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Janie Axtell"
Subject: [e] Astrology defined
Date: Sun, 6 Jun 2004 01:56:07 -0700
Astrology seems to be the study of interactions
between events in the sky and events here on earth.
(Those who claim "no interaction" are given the lie
by studies of solar flares which directly change
weather as well as impinge on electrical exchanges
from radio band to neurological.)
Formal astrology studies the part of the interaction
which can be mapped in advance as well as
charted backwards through time.
The upper and lower boundaries of "sky" have
been adjusted from time to time throughout the
history of astrology.
In the very distant past, as well as in other cultures,
the associations and explanatory stories for planets
have sometimes been quite different from those
we use, but sometimes not.
Prediction has generally been attempted with various
degrees of success. (Will the winter be hard? What
will the harvest be like? Will we survive the journey
to market and back?) This isn't because astrology is
a perfectly predicting tool, but because most decisions
are based on predictions. (Is it safe to cross the
street? Will this food make me sick?) Astrology has
been used in various attempts to improve one's
score at predicting. (For some this seems to work, but
then we have the example of economics where rules
work for a little while, then stop working.)
But if we can't predict high tides and low or when
winter will come or our own deaths, what is the use of
it? To make us feel cosmic?
One of my partners, Ed Kohout, proposes that ritual
astrology binds intentions through time and across
generations. Perhaps he's right.
What else is it good for?
Jane Axtell
http://www.startiming.net
------------------------------
End of exegesis Digest V9 #24
exegesis Digest Mon, 07 Jun 2004 Volume: 09 Issue: 025
In This Issue:
#1: Subject: [e] cosmology
and precession
From: Robert Tulip
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Subject: [e] cosmology and precession
From: Robert Tulip
Date: Tue, 8 Jun 2004 13:16:37 +1000
Dear all
Please see attached an essay explaining how the precession
of the equinox
is central to cosmology. I would welcome any comment
or distribution or
offer to revise and co-author for publication.
Circulated today in honour
of the transit of Venus.
(See attached file: Sermon May04 Rev21.18.doc)
Thank you Dennis and Kevin for your thoughtful comments
(below) on my last
email. In answer to Kevin's question
"how do you logically connect the influence of planetary
cycles to the
process of evolutionary biology?" I would argue that
life is sensitive to
constant patterns, and the orbits of the planets have
been the most
constant large scale rhythm in our cosmic eco-system
- hence their place as
the 'niche of the world'.
My thinking on this topic started with James Gleick's
book about complexity
theory, Chaos - Making a New Science, applied in terms
of planetary
cosmology to the ideas in Richard Dawkin's The Selfish
Gene, which provides
a framework for understanding ecology as the foundation
of philosophy.
Another key source is Gauquelin's presentation, especially
in The Cosmic
Clocks, of the broadranging subtle influences of the
cycles of the planets,
for example his discovery of a genetic factor in the
Mars effect.
Based on these sources and others I believe that fractal
geometry provides
a good model for a scientific explanation of astrology,
grounded in a
logical connection between planetary cycles and evolutionary
biology.
with best regards
Robert
A Scientific Approach to Revelation
through a Theology of Natural Grace
- The Twelve Jewels
16 May 2004
Robert Tulip
Revelation 21:19-20 "The
foundations of the city wall were decorated
with every precious jewel; the first course
of stones was jasper, the
second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the
fourth emerald, the fifth
sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh
chrysolite, the eighth beryl,
the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase,
the eleventh hyacinth, and the
twelfth amethyst."
1. These twelve jewels decorating the foundation
stones of the city wall
of the holy city, new Jerusalem, are part
of the vision of the capital
of Christ in the new age of the kingdom
of love which the Bible tells us
will be inaugurated at the Second Coming.
Today I will share with you
my own interpretation of this passage, which
for me opens up the cosmic
dimension of the Bible in an entirely new
way. Last week Don Munro gave
us what I thought was a masterly view of
this difficult book, the
Revelation of John. Don pointed out
how many great theologians have
regarded Revelation as the most important
book in the Bible, and how
each verse suggests a deep mysterious guiding
intelligence which
requires deep study to even begin to understand.
Don cautioned that
some, such as Martin Luther, have found
Revelation so hard to understand
that they have questioned why it should
stay in the Bible at all. Don
also observed that each generation has tended
to read the Revelation as
a lesson for its own time, and that it is
the subject of more
speculation than any other text, so real
discernment is needed to make
sense of it.
2. Taking on board Don' advice,
I nonetheless want to strike out today
in a rather risky direction, by offering
you my own speculative reading
of Revelation as a lesson for our time.
I know this presents the risk
that you may find my approach problematic,
but I have decided to press
ahead anyway, as for me these ideas are
at the foundation of my faith in
Christ and God. I apologise if you
find my comments difficult, but I
hope you will forgive me for trying to explore
the meeting ground
between theology and philosophy in the effort
to open up dialogue about
the meaning of faith. I give you my
sincere thanks for this opportunity
to speak to you today.
3. Our modern society tends to avoid the
fundamental question posed by
Revelation, namely, of the relation between
God and the world. I believe
the answer to this question must sit squarely
on a scientific
foundation, so that we can build a natural
theology on the platform of
modern science by asking how God is revealed
in our cosmos. The task is
to marry the empirical findings of science
with the deep understanding
of reality provided by Christian faith.
Despite the power of modern
science and technology, the problem with
science is that its reaction
against faith has created a rather shallow
atheistic culture. I believe
the book of Revelation provides a broader
context in which we can set
our modern thinking, providing the key to
the challenge of developing a
rational faith. For my reading, as
I will explain today, this old book
sets Jesus Christ right up there with Galileo,
Isaac Newton and Albert
Einstein as one of the principal sources
for our thought on scientific
cosmology.
4. The Biblical vision tells us ‘the
holy city, new Jerusalem, will come
down out of heaven from God, prepared as
a bride adorned for her
husband.’ The city will be
‘ruled by he who is the Alpha and the Omega,
the beginning and the end.’
With ‘the Lamb for its lamp’, ‘the
nations
will walk by its light, and to it the kings
of the earth will bring
their treasure…
The river of life-giving water, sparkling like crystal,
will flow from the throne of God and of
the Lamb, down the middle of its
street. On either side of the river will
grow the tree of life that
produces fruit twelve times a year, once
each month; the leaves of the
tree serving to heal the nations.’
This vision of the holy city is
among the most beautiful, powerful, profound
and evocative images in the
Bible, and is central to the hope and faith
of the church. Today I will
explore how we can make sense of this vision
through a new
interpretation of one small part of it,
the twelve foundation jewels.
5. The Christian doctrine of the apocalypse
and the end times is highly
contested. Generally, Christians who
express interest in the book of
Revelation tend to be at the fundamentalist
end of the spectrum,
espousing a rather conservative and millenarian
Biblical literalism.
Don warned us last week about tracts speculating
about the rapture and
the resurrection of the dead at the end
of time, and the 666, etc.
Fundamentalist readings of Revelation have
done much to bring
Christianity into disrepute in broader society,
as many of their
miraculous claims are incompatible with
the findings of science. I want
to clearly distance myself from such magical
and unscientific readings,
while retaining a sense of wonder and awe
before the miraculous grace
that is so central to the love of Christ.
6. Because of the implausibility of fundamentalist
readings, modern
historical-critical theology tends to disregard
the vision of Revelation
entirely, treating it as a fantastic dream
rather than a true message
from God. The skeptical view of Revelation
puts it on a level with the
stories of the Garden of Eden and the Flood,
beautiful parables with a
deep symbolic meaning, but no historical
truth. Some readers say that
John made it up himself, even though he
says in Revelation One that his
vision came from Christ. My interpretation
seeks to sit between
skepticism and fundamentalism, by trying
to understand Revelation as a
prophecy from Christ which can be reconciled
with modern thought. I
will use the vision of the foundation jewels
as an entry point to this
approach – hopefully in a way
that maintains respect for both revelation
and reason. My scientific interest in astronomy
has led me to a new
interpretation of this passage which I hope
may be fruitful in
reconciling science and Christianity through
a new approach to
cosmology.
7. Christian commitment to truth must fully
respect science for its
exploration of facts such as the evolution
of life on earth and the
nature of physical reality. Scientific
discovery is in this respect the
bedrock of thought. However, the limitation
of natural science is that
facts by themselves do not provide values,
meaning or purpose for our
lives. For our values to have integrity
and coherence, they must sit
within a unified system of thought.
In the Christian tradition, this
systematic unity is understood in terms
of the grace of God. We can
gain a deeper understanding of the meaning
and purpose of life by
setting scientific knowledge withing the
broader frame of grace that is
explored by religion and articulated in
the story of Jesus Christ. In
one of my previous sermons at Kippax I described
grace in terms of the
tree of life - the lectionary theme today
- saying that if our lives are
like the branches of the tree, then God
is like the roots, and without
the connection to our roots provided by
the grace and love of God
through Christ we cannot hope to find real
meaning. I believe that the
trouble of our secular atheistic society
today stems from its loss of
this connection with the divine source symbolised
by the tree of life.
Of course the theme of the tree of life
is an abundant fruitful source,
but today I will not treat it further, as
my task today is to explore
how the vision of the foundation jewels
might help us to frame science
with cosmic grace.
8. Science has given us whole new perspectives
on reality, for example
in astronomy, quantum physics and genetics.
These perspectives need to
be placed in the wider frame of meaning
provided by theology, to develop
our understanding of the relation between
nature and grace. You know,
it truly is an amazing thing that we are
here today. Human beings are
creatures of such incredible complexity,
in purely scientific terms it
is hard to believe we can really exist.
Our earth is a cosmic speck –
compared to the sun our planetary home is
as big as a pea ten metres
from an adult person. On this scale Jupiter
would be an orange forty
metres away, Pluto would be 400 metres away,
and the nearest star, Alpha
Centauri, would be in Tokyo. Our solar
system is very isolated within
our galaxy – if the twelve
billion kilometre wide orbit of Pluto were a
one inch disk – the size of
a ten cent piece - our milky way galaxy
would be the size of Australia. The transit
of Venus across the sun,
coming up on June 8, will give us a good
sense of just how small our
planet is is the cosmic scale of things.
9. God is love, but our universe is a harsh
place. It truly is a great
wonder of the grace of God how humanity
has evolved on our planet, to
reflect on the laws of nature, and to build
our global civilization,
even with all its faults. I would
like to take a moment now to dwell on
this amazing wonder of our presence here
today. One of my favourite
books is called ‘Rare Earth
- Why Complex Life is Uncommon in the
Universe’. It brings
together some of the best recent scientific
findings to show that microbial life may
be common in the cosmos, but
complex life – let alone intelligence
- requires such an incredible
combination of factors as to make it seem
impossible, except that here
we are, by the grace of God. Life
on earth has evolved over four
billion years. Over that long period,
life has relied on our planet
staying at a fairly constant temperature
to sustain liquid oceans, never
freezing over or boiling away. For
the first three and a half billion
years, all life was microscopic, with the
first visible organisms only
evolving 500 million years ago when enough
oxygen had been made in the
air. Our moon has given us constant
regular seasons by regulating the
tilt of the earth, and plate tectonics has
created the shallow seas in
which life evolved. Our planet has
been whacked several times by
asteroids big enough to kill all dominant
life forms, but the big
planets Jupiter and Saturn have shielded
us from more frequent
collisions with space rocks. So here
we are today, reflecting on the
grace of God.
10. It is
often said that Christ left no writings, even though he
is the most cited author in the Oxford Book
of Quotations. The
tantalizing last line in the Gospel of John
tells us that ‘there were
many other things that Jesus did; if all
were written down, the world
itself, I suppose, would not hold all the
books that would have to be
written’. There must
have been many oral traditions from Christ which
were recorded by the early Christian community,
and it is highly
possible that the book of Revelation reflects
such an oral tradition
from Jesus. I believe this is highly
likely, considering the strong
compatibility between the vivid apocalyptic
imagery of the gospels, such
as the stories of the sheep and the goats,
the clouds of heaven and the
wheat and the tares, and the powerful visions
in Revelation.
11. I like
to imagine Jesus sitting in the garden in the cool of
the evening with his disciples, just talking
about theology, asking
questions about the meaning of time, love,
the connection between God
and the world, eternity, and how fallen
humanity can possibly hope to
escape the threat of wrath and emerge victorious
into the kingdom of
grace. These themes were developed
in the New Testament into a
sophisticated theology which had thought
in depth about the nature of
reality and time. The Christian perspective
suggests that Jesus was at
the centre of these discussions, as the
messianic genius of
Christianity. Considering his link
with the Magi, and his early time in
Egypt after fleeing from Herod, I believe
it is entirely likely that
Jesus was familiar with the deep spiritual
traditions of Egypt and
Chaldea.
12. Why does
it matter if the Revelation is from Christ? If this
last book in the Bible does in fact contain
a secret key to our
salvation, then this question is of the
highest importance. If we want
to understand what it means to claim that
Jesus is the Son of God, then
we should read such writings with great
respect, looking for a direct
link to his thinking. When we say
Jesus is Lord, Messiah and Son of
God, it means he connected our fallen human
world to the ultimate truth
of God, showing the path to redemption through
the power of love. Jesus
is the word, the door, the vine, the lamb.
An essential part of his
messianic secret was the claim that Jesus
had a visionary understanding
of history. This historical dimension
is expressed in the creedal image
of Jesus sitting at the right hand of the
Father, waiting to return to
judge the living and the dead.
13. So how
does the story of the twelve jewels fit in this big
picture? Two of the most respected
commentaries on the Book of
Revelation are by G.B. Caird and William
Barclay. The Rev. William
Barclay, D.D., The Revelation of John (Volume
Two), The Saint Andrew
Press, Edinburgh, 1959 (The Daily Study
Bible); George Bradford Caird,
Black' New Testament Commentaries,
The Revelation of St John the Divine
, Adam & Charles Black, London, 1966
Both explain that the jewels are a
cosmic symbol, representing the twelve constellations
of the zodiac, the
path of stars traversed each year by the
sun, beginning at Aries and
ending at Pisces. The unusual thing
noted by these commentators is that
the order of the foundation jewels, compared
to the stars, is precisely
the reverse of their order in the sky.
The first course of foundation
stones of the new Jerusalem, made of jasper,
is understood by tradition
to represent Pisces, the last sign of the
zodiac. The second course, of
sapphire, represents Aquarius, the second
last sign, and so through to
the twelfth course of jewels, of amethyst,
which the commentators tell
us represents Aries, the first sign of the
zodiac. Barclay says that
the symbolism of this order is impossible
to tell, while Caird
speculates that perhaps the reverse order
indicates John' total
disavowal of astrology.
14. What could
the Revelation mean by saying that the twelve
foundation stones of the holy city of God
will match the signs of the
zodiac in reverse order? What natural
phenomenon could possibly equate
to this mysterious symbol? My reading
of this passage centres on these
questions. The phenomenon I wish to
explore is that the order of the
foundation jewels, understood as the zodiac
signs in reverse order,
corresponds with the major cycle of time
known as the precession of the
equinox. I will now take a minute
to explain this cycle, which many of
you probably have not heard of. The
equinoxes occur on March 21 and
September 21, and are the dates each year
when the day and night are of
equal length, twelve hours each, marking
the points of change in the
seasons from the warmer to the cooler months
and vice versa. The
precession of the equinox is a 26,000 year
long natural cycle, well
known to ancient astronomers in Greece and
Egypt as the Great Year or
the Platonic Year. As a result of
precession, the position in the sky
reached by the sun each equinox moves slowly
backward around the twelve
signs of the zodiac, passing on average
through one sign every 2152
years, and going full circle every 26,000
years. Modern astronomy has
found that precession is caused by a slow
wobble in the axis of the
earth, like a spinning top, and has been
happening in a steady regular
rhythm since the origin of the solar system
four billion years ago.
15. Because
of precession, the position of the sun against the
stars of the zodiac is slowly shifting backwards,
one degree every 71
years. At the time of Christ, the
equinox on March 21 occurred with the
sun between the signs of Pisces and Aries.
Over the last two thousand
years, due to precession, the sun'
position at the March equinox has
shifted back almost 30 degrees through the
constellation of Pisces, and
is now between Pisces and Aquarius. Over
the next two thousand years the
equinox will precess through Aquarius.
In purely scientific terms, this
is what is meant by the idea that we are
now at the dawning of the Age
of Aquarius. This framework has also
been the basis of speculation
about the correspondence between the Age
of Pisces, or the fishes, and
Christianity. Whatever that may mean,
this conception of the age as a
roughly 2000 year long period is intriguing
in terms of the widespread
Christian traditions which interpret the
history of the world over 6000
years since Adam - with the current 2000
year old age of the church due
to be followed by the 1000 year reign of
Christ. This framework also
seems to correspond to Jesus'
comment in Matthew 24:14 that "This good
news of the kingdom will be proclaimed to
the whole world as a witness
to the nations, and then the end will come".
Only now in our globalised
world are we in a situation where the gospel
has been preached to all,
in that all nations have at least heard
of Christ.
16. Leaving
aside any further speculation as to the symbolic
meaning of the ages, I want to focus on
how the image of the foundation
jewels gives us an intriguing suggestion
of the time scale we should be
thinking about when we consider the Biblical
accounts of the end times,
through the theological study known as eschatology.
The precession is
the only natural cycle which matches the
image of the twelve jewels, and
through this image John seems to be telling
us that the proper time
frame for eschatology is the 26,000 year
long correspondence between the
twelve foundation jewels and the twelve
cosmic ages, starting with the
Age of Pisces which is now finishing.
17. In my
own thinking about theology I have found this frame of
reference helpful as a way to interpret
the Trinitarian relation between
nature and grace. The Father - the
eternal and infinite creator God -
became incarnate on our planet in the life
of the Son - Jesus Christ,
and the relation between Father and Son
continues to reverberate in our
world in the work of the Holy Spirit.
The expectation of a consummation
of reality, when the evangelical work of
the church in preparing the way
of the Lord will be vindicated through the
return of the Son, envisages
a time when God will be known as ‘all
in all’. This ‘all in all’
must
mean that humanity will understand our true
place in the cosmos, that
nature will finally be suffused with grace.
In the words of Rev 21:3,
the dwelling of God will be with humanity.
18. After
some considerable study of it, my belief is that this
image of the twelve jewels from the Revelation
offers us a key to the
relation between time and eternity, but
we have been unable to see this
relation for a range of complex cultural
reasons. Scientific astronomy
has had the knowledge to interpret this
passage since ancient times, but
paradoxically, because modern science has
rejected the old earth-centred
cosmology of the church, science has been
unwilling to look at this
issue. Precession provides the structure
of time for the earth against
the galaxy, but this cosmology is centred
on our perspective as earthly
human beings, linked into the vision of
the whole. Science has been so
captivated by its big discoveries of galaxies,
the big bang, and so on,
that it has not focussed on this medium
scale cosmic question of how our
earth fits in the rhythms of our galaxy.
19. Viewing
the foundation jewels in terms of precession of the
equinox provides a cosmic human context
for the relation between time
and eternity. The Great Year period
of 26,000 years is very long, but
as 2 Peter 3:8 tells us, for God a thousand
years is as a day. Thinking
in scientific terms of evolutionary biology,
this cycle has been going
on unchanged for four billion years - that
is 150,000 Great Years - and
over this time this regular cycle has provided
a key part of the cosmic
niche for all life on earth. The interpretation
of the foundations of
the holy city in terms of the Great Year
period coheres well with the
prophecy that God will dwell with humanity,
suggesting we need to
understand this immense natural cycle if
we are to learn to truly live
in the image of God.
20. It is
intriguing that Jesus, as the Alpha and Omega, lived
precisely at the beginning and end of the
26,000 year long Great Year,
at the moment when the signs of the zodiac
directly matched the stars.
I believe that Jesus articulated a profoundly
true vision of the
challenge of salvation, and presented this
challenge as a program which
we can access in the Bible. Starting
from his cosmic vision of the
reality of God as the basis of life, and
the danger of mammon as the
threat to human relations with God, Jesus
understood that his personal
martyrdom for our sake was a necessary sacrifice
to demonstrate his
unity with God and the truth of his words.
Behind his decision to turn
to Jerusalem, to offer himself for crucifixion
at the hands of the Roman
authorities, was a cosmic vision, founded
on his personal relationship
with God the Father. The unique thing
about Jesus Christ was that he
had a fullness of relationship with God
which others can only look on
with awe and wonder. This immense
and deep loving bond with God was at
------------------------------
End of exegesis Digest V9 #25
exegesis Digest Tue, 08 Jun 2004 Volume: 09 Issue: 026
In This Issue:
#1: From: dearbornhair
Subject: [e] filtering down
the essence of life-Kevin
#2: From: "Janie Axtell"
Subject: [e] Re: cosmology
and precession
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 8 Jun 2004 06:34:40 -0700 (PDT)
From: dearbornhair
Subject: [e] filtering down the essence of life-Kevin
Because you frame your proposition in term of 'logic',
how do you
logically connect the influence of planetary cycles to
the process of
evolutionary biology? There are after all many things
that have been
occurring for four billion years, but it is the nature
of the
connection
between them that determines their meaning. I can
understand seeing one
pattern and then seeing another, but to logically
connect them requires
more than homological reasoning. How do you conceive
this 'natural
resonance' of the genes, and what do you imagine the
path by which the
planetary energies (the archetypes) are manifested on
the genetic
level?
Thoughtfully,
Kevin
Hello Kevin,
A long time ago, I read the theory put forth by
c.c.zain regarding thought cells.
he likens the horoscope to a "map of actual vibratory
currents which are operating at the time for which the
chart is erected. These vibratory currents constitute
the inner-plane weather. the outer plane
weather not
only influences life on earth, but also inanimate
objects, as ilustrated by mountains chains being worn
down and carried into the ocean.
thus the inner plane weather which has celocities
exceeding that of light, influences both animate and
inanitmae ovjucts through nonphysical laws which may
be discovered, not by theory, but by obvserving how
things actually react to different types of inner
plane weather."(horary astrology by c.c.zain-1930)
so for zain, the proof was in the empirical process.
-there is also the philosophical thought that
everything is part of everything. the cells and
molecules of our bodies look suspisciously like little
solar systems under a microscope and respond likewise
to eachother. the universe breathes and lives..
this holistic view could live harmoniously with Zain,
but some of the gaps would need to be filled in when
you place it all on a continuum of time.
-but i think to spend too much time on these theories
will keep you away from higher truths. that many
others that have gone before us and left us their
tracks to follow and have left quite a few clues.
i think that part of the evolutionary process is
~faith~. without a little faith, nothing
much
happens...
Finally, it's kind of like gravity. you may not
"believe" in gravity, but it does not take your
belief in order for it to operate.
steven
(it was a very good question by the way)
------------------------------
From: "Janie Axtell"
Subject: [e] Re: cosmology and precession
Date: Tue, 8 Jun 2004 10:38:53 -0700
To Robert Tulip
Your discourse was clipped in transit by the mail system.
Is this content posted somewhere?
Thanking you in advance.
Jane Axtell
http://www.startiming.net
------------------------------
End of exegesis Digest V9 #26
exegesis Digest Wed, 09 Jun 2004 Volume: 09 Issue: 027
In This Issue:
#1: From: "Kevin v"
Subject: [e] Re: exegesis
Digest V9 #26
#2: Subject: [e] Re: exegesis
Digest V9 #25
From: Robert Tulip
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Kevin v"
Subject: [e] Re: exegesis Digest V9 #26
Date: Wed, 9 Jun 2004 07:36:07 -0400
Steven,
These are wonderful metaphors for the kinds of connections
that may
exist between planetary energies and evolutionary genetic
development. I
do not doubt that there very well may be such a connection,
but rather
that such a connection can be the subject of a proposition
of logic
without stating some rather wide suppositions, -the stating
of which
often the use of 'logical language' is attempting to
circumvent. It may
sound like hair splitting, but the manner of language
is a powerful
thing, and the terms we use to define our discipline
reflect the
principles on which we based it. I am particularly sensitive
to the
'dressing up' of metaphysical thought in more 'scientific'
gowns, in
order to legitimate it. Metaphysical thought stands on
its own, and the
borrowing of the latest scientific metaphors of explanation
in order to
'prove' it is somehow unbecoming. If a logical proposition
is formally
put forth, let it at least be a proposition of logic.
I appreciate your
thinking here though, as models of thought can always
be an inspiration
to spiritual discovery.
Sincerely, Kevin
------------------------------
Subject: [e] Re: exegesis Digest V9 #25
From: Robert Tulip
Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2004 09:37:01 +1000
For those who read my previous email on precession and
cosmology here is
the rest of it
20.... This immense and deep loving bond with God
was at the source of the
miraculous resurrection energy of his life, showing us
the path of love,
reconciliation and forgiveness, bound together in the
truth of God. As
Saint Paul told the Colossians in verse 1:19 of his letter
to them: "God
wanted all perfection to be found in Christ, and all
things to be
reconciled through him and for him, everything on heaven
and everything on
earth."
21. So the question stands, how
are we to interpret the prophecy of the
holy city in Revelation 21? My thoughts on this
may be just a dream, but I
would like to share them with you anyway. The Bible
tells us the holy city
will be a vast cube, with each edge 1,500 miles long.
I like to dream of
this as a vast engineering project unifying the world
in peace, just as
building the pyramids unified ancient Egypt. The
first foundation jewel is
jasper, the stone of Pisces. To me this symbolises the
ocean, suggesting
that perhaps the location for the new Jerusalem should
be an international
site in the open ocean. I dream of it as located
directly opposite the old
Jerusalem, in the South Pacific Ocean. Just as
the pyramids were built to
map the constellation Orion and the Notre Dame Pyramids
of France were
built by the freemasons to map the constellation Virgo,
I dream of the holy
oceanic city as mapping the constellation Aquarius.
22. I know all this is difficult material, and I apologise
again if some of
what I have had to say does not make sense to you.
My underlying intent
has been to explore in an entirely realistic way how
the theology of cosmic
reconciliation in Christ is articulated most fully in
the book of
Revelation. Today I have explained to you some of my
own reading of that
book, offering some new ideas which I hope can help to
provoke some new
thinking about the relation between religion and science.
I hope that this
interpretation of the foundation jewels of the new Jerusalem
can help
deepen our understanding of the glorious grace of God,
his cosmic plan for
humanity, and the central place within that plan of
Jesus Christ.
------------------------------
End of exegesis Digest V9 #27
exegesis Digest Thu, 24 Jun 2004 Volume: 09 Issue: 028
In This Issue:
#1: From: Tabitha Parker
Subject: [e] Saturn opposed
Neptune in the coming years
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 04:09:06 -0700 (PDT)
From: Tabitha Parker
Subject: [e] Saturn opposed Neptune in the coming years
Dear Fran,
I have just stumbed upon your forum, and have been greatly
enjoying your archives. Did anyone ever do the MercuRetch/ Auto wreck
comparison?
I am writing to get others' thoughts on the coming Saturn/Neptune oppositions in regards to children born over the next few years. I am planning on having a child or two, so I have been scanning for things to avoid. I noticed that Saturn comes into orb of an opposition to Neptune from mid Sept 2005 through mid Jan 2006. Then comes into orb again in July 2006 and makes a triple opposition before leaving at the end of August 2007. Then it retrogrades back into orb from mid April to late May 2008. My main concern is that children from that time period will have even more problems with addictions than what we have already seen. I am planning on home schooling anyway, but I can see the classes of '24 -'27 being a bad time for kiddos. Am I making to much of this one aspect?
I am also concerned about retrograde personal planets in potential birthcharts. I do not have any, but my husband has retrograde Mars. Anyone out there have experience with those interactions?
------------------------------
End of exegesis Digest V9 #28
exegesis Digest Thu, 24 Jun 2004 Volume: 09 Issue: 029
In This Issue:
#1: From: "Janie Axtell"
Subject: [e] Re: exegesis
Digest V9 #28
#2: From: "Roger L. Satterlee"
Subject: [e] Re: exegesis
Digest V9 #28
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Janie Axtell"
Subject: [e] Re: exegesis Digest V9 #28
Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 05:27:57 -0700
----- Original Message ----- From: Tabitha Parker
> I am writing to get others' thoughts on the coming
Saturn/Neptune
oppositions in regards to children born over the next
few years. I am
planning on having a child or two, so I have been scanning
for things to
avoid. I noticed that Saturn comes into orb of
an opposition to Neptune
from mid Sept 2005 through mid Jan 2006. Then comes
into orb again in July
2006 and makes a triple opposition before leaving at
the end of August 2007.
Then it retrogrades back into orb from mid April to late
May 2008. My main
concern is that children from that time period will have
even more problems
with addictions than what we have already seen.
I am planning on home
schooling anyway, but I can see the classes of '24 -'27
being a bad time for
kiddos. Am I making to much of this one aspect?<
I do think you are making too much of the aspect. This
is a "making dreams
come true" in the properly developed person. It is superb
for artists,
engineers, and city planners.
Jane Axtell
http://www.startiming.net
------------------------------
From: "Roger L. Satterlee"
Subject: [e] Re: exegesis Digest V9 #28
Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 19:44:51 -0400
----- Original Message -----
From: "Listar" <lists@exegesis.dyndns.org>
To: "exegesis digest users" <exegesis@exegesis.dyndns.org>
Sent: Thursday, June 24, 2004 5:33 AM
Subject: exegesis Digest V9 #28
[ Rog butting in uninvited says: ]
Compare January 2,7 1756 (W A Mozart) to late
July 24, 2005....your child
may turn out to be the anti-Mozart !
Rog...:)
------------------------------
End of exegesis Digest V9 #29
exegesis Digest Fri, 25 Jun 2004 Volume: 09 Issue: 030
In This Issue:
#1: From: "Kevin v"
Subject: [e] Re: exegesis
Digest V9 #29
----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: "Kevin v"
Subject: [e] Re: exegesis Digest V9 #29
Date: Fri, 25 Jun 2004 11:13:49 -0400
Tabitha,
I am in agreement with Jane. Squares and oppositions are
nothing more
than intensifications, a focusing of energies. With your
knowledge,
guidance and love surely your child would have everything
to gain from
such an opposition.
Kevin von Duuglas-Ittu
------------------------------
End of exegesis Digest V9 #30
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