The Natal Astrology of the Nativity of Jesus Christ
Before We Get To The Astrology
Few things in history have been such a hot topic of debate over the last two thousand plus years as the birth of Jesus. Despite the length of this debate it seems that (almost) no one has ever successfully been able to synthesize the historical, biblical, and astronomical evidence into a uniform timeline that satisfies all of the criteria. In the spirit of the Magi (the three wise men) who were astrologers, I attempted to look back in time using the lens of astrology to see if there was a “smoking gun” that may help provide a more conclusive answer to this mystery. What I ended up finding left me stunned. But before we look at the astrology I’d like to go over the academic evidence and biblical perspectives to paint a clear picture of where we stand heading into this. We must look at the three main methods that have been used the most to pinpoint the birth of Jesus Christ — the Star of Bethlehem, the death of Herod, and subtracting “about 30” years from the time Jesus began his ministry. The irony here is that the best place to begin is actually at the end. It is my belief that the potential date of the crucifixion is the most definitive and has the highest probability of accuracy. Now, let’s take a look at Sir Isaac Newton.
The Crucifixion
In 1733, seven years after his passing, there was a posthumous paper published that was written by Sir Isaac Newton where he examined the potential dates of the crucifixion based on the Gospels of the Bible. Matthew 27:62 and 28:1, Mark 15:42, Luke 23:54, and John 19:31,42 provided Newton with a very clear criteria to use to find the date Jesus was crucified. What he found was there were only two dates that met this specific criteria which were April 3rd, 33 CE and April 23rd, 34 CE. The research of Colin Humphreys (Physicist) & Graeme Waddington (Astronomer) suggest that April 3rd, 33 CE was the date of the crucifixion (Humphreys even has a book on this subject). In Acts 2:14,20 Peter describes the turning of the moon to blood. According to Humphreys & Waddington, on this date in ancient Jerusalem observers would have witnessed a partial eclipse that would have became visible creating the “moon to blood” effect. There are others who also lean on April 3rd, 33 CE as the date of the crucifixion as well. When you examine the events of the life of Jesus there’s more scholarly agreement around the potential crucifixion dates than any event on the timeline.
The Big Three
Let’s start this section by looking at “The Star of Bethlehem”. The first fact we need to face here is that nobody actually knows for sure what this was on a scientific level. Scholars and astronomers have suggested the Great Conjunction of 7 BCE, the occultation of Jupiter in Aries in 6 BCE, as well many other theories such as supernovas and comets. The problem with most of these dates is that they don’t line up with the date of the crucifixion or when Jesus began his ministry. Jesus would have been too old which can be seen by examining the facts from the next method. Luke 3:23 is where it is mentioned that Jesus was “about 30” years old when he began his ministry (guess we know what his Saturn Return was). The Bible also provides clues as to when the ministry of Jesus began. Luke 3:1–2 and John 2:20 provide specific years to base this calculation from which scholars have generally settled at around 29 CE. The consensus among biblical scholars is that Jesus died around the age of 33 due to there being three Passovers in the Gospels after his ministry began (which aligns perfectly with the crucifixion date if ministry began from 29 CE). The final method is where a lot of the confusion comes from and that is the death of King Herod. In Antiquities Book XVII 6:4 Josephus says that Herod died near a lunar eclipse before Passover, which just as with the crucifixion, narrows the potential dates down significantly. Most historical estimates place Herod’s death around 4 BCE due to the eclipse that took place on March 13th, 4 BCE. However, this date comes into direct conflict with all of the other information. John P. Pratt (PhD Astronomer) authored an article showing how the 4 BCE date doesn’t sufficiently connect the dots and instead suggested two others — January 10th, 1 BCE and December 29th, 1 BCE. He argues that January 10th (and the March 13th, 4 BCE eclipse) aren’t likely due to their lack of visibility as they would have occurred. His main issue with the March 13th, 4 BCE eclipse is the number of events that needed to take place between then and Passover made it very unlikely. He concludes that December 29th, 1 BC made the most sense and fit all the biblical & historical criteria placing the death of Herod sometime in 1 CE. This is what lead me to look back at the astrology of 1 BCE.
What About The Fixed Stars?
I made an observation when reading what alignments Astronomers were looking at to determine what the Star of Bethlehem actually was — other than a single mention of Regulus there was a lack of theories that incorporated the fixed stars. When I considered how the Magi may have interpreted astrology at that time in history I felt like overlooking the fixed stars was a major flaw. Due to this, fixed stars was something I kept a very close eye on while looking through charts of this time period. I’m glad I did — because that’s where (what I believe to be) the “smoking gun” was the whole time.
Hidden In Plain Sight?
I’m going to start by sharing the chart and its details and then I’ll discuss it afterwards. I present to you — October 10th, 1 BCE at 9:41:30 AM in Bethlehem. There’s a lot to unpack here — but the hidden in plain sight thing — notice this date is exactly 9 months following the lunar eclipse on January 10th, 1 BCE that was mentioned by John Pratt.
Fixed stars play a massive part in this analysis so for delineations I’m using the most recent authority on this topic, Bernadette Brady. I have both her books on the subject (Brady’s Book of Fixed Stars & Stars and Planet Combinations) which she gives her own interpretations as well as giving the opinions of her predecessors. It’s worth noting that people were totally oblivious to the outer planets (Uranus, Neptune, Pluto) during this time as they hadn’t yet been discovered due to lack of visibility. Let me also explain my thought process on how I settled at this time, it’s actually fairly simple — I wanted to experiment and see what happened when I put the Moon exactly on the royal star Regulus (but more on that later).
The Angles and Fixed Stars
According to Bernadette Brady, “Make a note of any star that is on any of the four angles at the time of birth… such a star will be strong throughout the entire life.” The angles add emphasis to the stars the same as they would planets in a natal chart, so we’ll start there.
First we have the Ascendant at 0°56' Sagittarius — exactly conjunct (0°00' orb) with the star Acumen. Acumen is located in the tail of Scorpio and, “carries the negative or shadow side, so there are attacks that weaken, attacks that can slowly but surely erode the person.” When born with it on an angle it can produce, “a life that is constantly challenged by others. To hold views which are contra those of the mainstream.”
Across the zodiac at 0°56' Gemini we have the Descendant — exactly conjunct (0°00' orb) with the star Betelgeuse. This one jumped out at me quite a bit. Located in the right shoulder of Orion, Brady says that it’s one of the three stars of Orion that “radiates achievement.” When on an angle at birth it can make one a “larger than life figure.” She adds that, “its influence can bring unbridled success without complications,” while considering it to be the “most auspicious star of all.” But what caught my attention was that it was on the Descendant. Brady states, referring to works late in life or after death, when this star has this specific placement that it, “relates to the ability to be successful and to one’s work living on. In a sense this star gives a person the opportunity for immortality.” In Chris Brennan’s book “Hellenstic Astrology: The Study of Fate and Fortune”, he states, “some authors following Hermes associate the seventh with death, and the quality of death, probably since this is where the Sun and other planets disappear from view each day,” with the seventh referring to the sign of the Descendant. Being that the key element in the story of Jesus is his death, Betelgeuse exactly on the Descendant would be a very literal manifestation of this placement. Also — Gemini is the 10th house from the Lot of Fortune adding to its significance, but more on that shortly.
Now let’s move on to the Midheaven located at 10°37' Virgo — conjunct with the star Diadem. Brady states when strongly placed in a chart that it, “can suggest a self-sacrificing person who is motivated by the love for another. In that sacrifice the person can find great strength and dignity,” and that when born with this star on an angle it may cause the native to, “devote yourself to a cause, to live by the philosophy that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one, to be an example of a sacrifice.” Once again, the central theme in the story of Jesus was how he became a sacrifice for the sins of the world.
The Planets and Fixed Stars
At first glance, there’s two main planetary placements on the fixed stars that stand out above the rest — Jupiter & Pluto conjunct Spica (all within 0°23') while Saturn is simultaneously conjunct Sirius (orb 0°03'). The star Spica is another one Brady holds in high esteem (listing it along side the royal stars and the ones from Orion) saying that it indicates “a great gift.” She states that it represents, “a gift of brilliance, a hidden or obvious talent, skill, or ability that is out of the ordinary.” Something else that adds emphasis to this star is that when you account for its precession over the years Spica would have been his heliacal rising star (before changing to Alkes around 1200–1300 CE). Brady states that Spica as a heliacal rising star indicates, “a person who can excel in a particular area; to have a gift, physical, emotional or intellectual, which one uses on a daily basis level. Wanting to use one’s talents for the greatest possible good.” Also worth noting is when describing the opinions on Spica from previous astrologers she mentions that Ebertin noted that Spica’s influence can result in “injustice for the innocent.” However, I want to look at the planets, sign, and house placement for a moment. The conjunction occurs in the sign of Virgo (Virgin) and it’s on the parental axis in the 10th house which is usually associated with the mother. I’m not sure how to describe what a virgin giving birth would look like in a natal chart, but I’d imagine Jupiter & Pluto conjunct Spica in Virgo would definitely be a solid choice. Interestingly enough, when you look at the other side of the parental axis down at the IC and the 4th house you land in Pisces. Jesus has been associated with the astrological “Age of Pisces” and with Uranus located there I think it’s safe to say there was definitely something that’d be considered “unusual” about his father (being he was supposedly God).
Speaking of father, let’s now look at Saturn conjunct Sirius. In astrological terms the Sun and Saturn are generally connected with the father so we’ll look at the Sun next. Worth noting is that both of these planets are “in hayz” in this chart, meaning they are in the best possible condition based on sect (day or night). Sirius is the brightest star in the sky which gives an idea on how it is interpreted. All of the older interpretations of this star linked it to fame and honor. This is another one of the main stars listed by Brady who states that, “it has always been associated with great and/or sacred deeds,” and that it, “seeks to link small personal actions to great sacred moments.” She adds that it can manifest as, “the small action of the individual has a large effect on the collective. The individual, however, may be sacrificed to this collective expression, or may gain fame and glory,” but also notes that Sirius, “is not an easy star to with which to work, as it demands expression somehow in your life — and the huge success it can bring may ‘burn’ you.” Though the book refers to parans, she mentions that when Saturn is linked to Sirius that it can manifest as the native being “a founder of an institution,” and even mentions “immortality; a leader or a concept that becomes exalted” in the mundane sense. The brightest star in the sky linked to a planet that represents the father makes a lot of sense, you know, with God and all.
Now on to the other significator of the father, and the main one in a diurnal chart — the Sun. There are two conjunctions worth noting — Acrux & Alphecca. Note on Acrux — it currently isn’t visible at this location but according to Brady it lost visibility from European view around 400 CE, so it would have been visible then. The star Acrux is literally part of a cross. A cross shaped exactly like the one Jesus was crucified on. She states its presence makes the native, “a doer, an achiever, someone who wants to move and take action, a person who gets things done.” When linking it with in the Sun in a mundane sense, she states it shows “a period when the establishment prevails,” which can be fairly stated surrounding the circumstances leading to the death of Jesus. As for Alphecca, this is a star in the constellation Corona Borealis which is a crown of flowers. Brady states this star is, “symbolic of achievements in a quiet and passive way,” before adding, “this crown on flowers also contains thorns and although there are advancements through life which are not necessarily through one’s own effects, there is always a price to pay.” So the Sun is linked to a cross and a crown of thorns — this is starting to feel like less and less of a coincidence.
Going full circle here we return back to the Moon in Leo conjunct the royal star Regulus. The reason Regulus was the first star I wanted to look at was due to its symbolism and association with royalty. The fact that the angles lined up perfectly on the other fixed stars previously mentioned at the time the Moon was exact with Regulus grabbed my attention from the beginning. Looking at the Moon in even further detail, it’s located in the 9th place (house) which in traditional astrology was known as the place of God, while also being exactly conjunct the Lot of Father. So here we have the Moon on the royal star Regulus, in the 9th house of God, exactly conjunct the Lot of Father. Brady states that with Regulus, “great success can be gained but only by facing a particular nemesis,” and when linked with the Moon it creates “a natural leader who leads by love and devotion, rather than by power and authority.” On top of that the Moon (which is used as a significator for the body and health) also rules the 8th house, which is considered the house of death.
For the final pairing we have an exact Neptune & Venus conjunction (orb 0°03') on the star Ras Algethi. I find the sign of Scorpio and the 12th house to be an appropriate spot for this. Brady says that Ras Algethi is, “tied to the giving of honour or prayer to the gods, the instinctive attitude of humans in awe of the gods or goddesses, and is associated with the idea of the natural order of the world,” also stating that it gives the native a, “ spontaneous need to submit to or honour something larger than oneself.” When linked to Neptune she says it could mean, “to walk away from family, power or prestige,” and in the mundane sense, “That which is honoured, or deemed sacred, fails.” The symbolism created by the angles, planets, and stars depicts a very specific image, and one that describes Jesus very well. The overall story of Jesus has a very Neptunian vibe to it — a mysterious birth, a mysterious death, mystery shrouded around the story regarding how it all happened, his early years of life, the theme of sacrifice. It should come as no surprise that Neptune plays a prominent role in the charts that follow. But before I show those I want to look at something else — I decided I should check his progressions and zodiac releasing to see if everything aligned properly.
Crucifixion Progression
After progressing the chart to April 3rd, 33 CE that’s when things got pretty interesting for me. It’s one thing for a chart to look good, but I needed to see that it aligned properly with everything else. In the natal chart, the Sun is located at Libra 15°16' — meaning the progressed Midheaven went conjunct with the natal Sun while in an exact trine with Saturn at Gemini 15°13'. The second alignment to look at is the Sun conjunct Neptune in the 12th house in Scorpio. In the natal chart it was Venus that was conjunct Neptune, but the location of Venus in the progression sets up the third big alignment. There’s a partile T-Square between Venus, Pluto, and Uranus right on the Ascendant with Mercury in Libra having a sextile/trine relationship to the Ascendant & Descendant. The other thing which can’t be seen in the progression alone is the interaction of the Moon. Progressed Jupiter is in a partile sextile with the natal Moon, but I found the progressed Moon more interesting. Not only is it in an applying conjunction with the natal Sun, but on the date of the crucifixion the lunar eclipse that occurs at Libra 11°36' (I will share that chart shortly). The level of precision illustrated by the progression on the date of crucifixion is what one would expect to see — it fits exceptionally well.
Zodiac Release from the Lot of Spirit
To give a quick crash course on how this technique works, I’m going to refer back to Chris Brennan and his book “Hellenistic Astrology: The Study of Fate and Fortune.” Brennan states, “one of the most impressive and powerful time-lord techniques that has been recovered from the Hellenstic tradition so far is known today as zodiacal releasing,” he continues, “the best analogy for describing the technique is that it divides the native’s entire life up into different chapters and paragraphs, as if the life was a book,” and, “the level of precision that one can achieve in making predictions with zodiacal releasing can be a bit startling.” I felt that if this was legit then it would show up in the zodiac release technique. Regarding which lot to release from, Brennan makes the distinction between the two by saying that, “in practice, I have found releasing from the Lot of Spirit to be effective for determining periods in a person’s life related to career and overall life direction, while releasing from the Lot of Fortune is primarily useful for matters pertaining to the native’s health and physical vitality.” To add to that, the Lot of Spirit tends to show things done by choice whereas the Lot of Fortune shows things that occur by chance. As far as interpreting what qualifies a period as a peak, Brennan states one should, “identify the four signs that are angular from the sign that contains the Lot of Fortune.” Of those, the 10th house from the Lot of Fortune takes on a particularly heightened importance — which in this case is the sign of Gemini (the location of the Saturn & Sirius and Descendant & Betelgeuse conjunctions). The real question here is what lot to release from? Even though the crucifixion was an event that pertains to the body it wasn’t something that happened by chance. In John 12:26–37 Jesus speaks of his own death and knew that’s where his path would lead to, and he was aware of being betrayed by one of his disciples prior to death. His “career” was all about who he was and his purpose. So let’s look at what happens when you release from the Lot of Spirit.
The first thing I noticed was the start of the level 1 period — showing that at “about 30 years” of age he enters a new career period (starting his ministry maybe?). Also, it occurs in the sign of Pisces which, while isn’t angular from Fortune, is the sign he has been most associated with as well as being the sign of his IC in the natal chart. Next you’ll see that both the level 2 and level 3 periods are in Gemini, the 10th from Fortune, indicating a major peak. Even the level 4 ends up in Virgo which is the sign of his Lot of Fortune. This is, just as with the progression, exactly what one would expect to see with such an event. The progression and zodiac releasing from this natal chart line up in a fairly accurate way with the alleged date of the crucifixion. Speaking of which, we will look at that chart next.
The Potential Crucifixion
In the bible Mark 15:34–37 gives a time of death at around 3:00 pm, this was also the time that Humphreys & Waddington came to use. Here’s a chart using the April 3rd, 33 CE eclipse set for 3:18 pm in Jerusalem.
The interactions that occur between this transit chart and the natal chart are also what one would expect to see — the eclipse occurs on his natal Sun (with transit Sun in opposition), there’s a transit Jupiter & Pluto opposition that occurs with Jupiter conjunct his natal Saturn and Pluto opposing it, transit Neptune opposing natal Moon, transit Uranus squaring natal Neptune & Venus, transit Mercury trine transit Saturn while conjunct natal Mars and trine natal Neptune & Venus, and transit Venus conjunct the natal Mars/Uranus midpoint while opposing the natal Jupiter & Pluto conjunction — this thing is loaded.
The Potential Conception
The chart I have drawn up for this is the lunar eclipse previously mentioned by John Pratt for January 10th, 1 BCE at 1:12am in Bethlehem.
In this chart Neptune in Scorpio is in a partile sextile with the Sun & North Node in Capricorn, as well as a partile trine with the Moon and the South Node in Cancer adding a very Neptunian flavor to this lunar eclipse. At the same time we have a partile square between Jupiter in Virgo and Venus in Sagittarius. All of this while there’s a mystic rectangle formed by Mars, Pluto, Saturn, and Uranus.
Conclusion
Could this really be the birth chart of Jesus? Of course there’s no way we’d ever know. But what we do know is this — it fits the historical timeline, it’s directly linked to historical dates put forth in the academic studies of Jesus, the symbolism of the angles, planets, and fixed stars in the chart describe what we know about Jesus in a particularly accurate manner, and his progression and zodiacal releasing from this date happen to line up perfectly with the alleged date of crucifixion, as well as his zodiac releasing period matching when he would have began his ministry. My hope is that this will be viewed as a demonstration of the versatility of astrology and the potential it has on how it can be used. If nothing else — it’s all extremely interesting and I hope that it can at least begin a discussion on the topic.
