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by Lynn Hayes

by Lynn Hayes

Lucifer means lightbringer, from the Latin lux "light" and ferre "to bear or bring." The word Lucifer is found in only one place in the Bible -- Isaiah 14:12 -- but only in the King James and related versions: "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! . . ."  In other translations we find: "O shining star of the dawn!" (Moffatt) or "O morning-star, son of the dawn!" (Hebrew Bible). The King James Version is based on the Vulgate, the Latin translation of Jerome. Jerome translated the Hebrew helel (bright or brilliant one) as "lucifer," which was a reasonable Latin equivalent. And yet it is this lucifer, the bright one or lightbearer, that came to be understood by so many as the name for Satan, Lord of Darkness.

Time, then, and the heaven came into being at the same instant in order that, having been created together, if ever there was to be a dissolution of them, they might be dissolved together. It was framed after the pattern of the eternal nature, that it might resemble this as far as was possible; for the pattern exists from eternity, and the created heaven has been, and is, and will be, in all time. Such was the mind and thought of God in the creation of time. The sun and moon and five other stars, which are called the planets, were created by him in order to distinguish and preserve the numbers of time; and when he had made their several bodies, he placed them in the orbits in which the circle of the other was revolving -- in seven orbits seven stars. First, there was the moon in the orbit nearest the earth, and next the sun, in the second orbit above the earth; then came the morning star and the star sacred to Hermes, moving in orbits which have an equal swiftness with the sun, but in an opposite direction; and this is the reason why the sun and Hermes and Lucifer overtake and are overtaken by each other.

Plato clearly here is speaking of Lucifer as being the actual planet Venus, with Hermes as being the planet Mercury, "moving in orbits which have an equal swiftness with the Sun."  

There are also many pre-Christian myths and allegories that include stories about Lucifer, which is the Latin name for the Greek Eosphoros. ... In the oldest Zoroastrian allegories, Mithra is supposed to have conquered the planet Venus. In the Christian tradition, Michael defeats Lucifer.

So we see that in the Zoroastrian myth the solar resurrected god Mithra conquers the Divine Feminine as represented by Venus, just as the archangel Michael in later Christian mythology conquers Lucifer.  The Solar cults, of which Christian is just the most recent, feared the mythic power of the Divine Feminine and perhaps this is one of the reasons for the confusion over Lucifer's true identity.

...according to this article in the Saudi Gazette (thanks Elsa):

Belief in astrology and the casting of horoscopes are in clear opposition to the letter and spirit of Islam. It is really the empty soul, which has not tasted real Iman (belief) that seeks out these paths. Essentially these paths, represent a vain attempt to escape Qadr (predistination). The ignorant believe that if they know what is in store for them tomorrow, they can prepare for them today. In that way, they may avoid the bad and ensure the good. Yet, Allah's messenger was told by Allah to say: " I possess no power over benefit or hurt to myself except as Allah wills."

Now I have no desire to bash someone else's religion, and all scriptures are subject to interpretation.  We know that in the 8th and 9th centuries when sacred knowledge was stifled in the West by the Catholic Church, it was the Arabic astrologers who rescued the sacred arts, translating the ancient Greek works into Arabic, and their wisdom,such as the Arabic Parts (including the widely used Part of Fortune), is taught to this very day ..

Pluto in astrological symbolism represents the god of the Underworld - it shows where we may be compulsive in our natures as we delve into the underworld of consciousness to emerge into light as transformed beings. It also represents the process of death and dying as well as resurrection, it shows where we will experience endings and beginnings. In transformational astrology for individuals, it represents the will of the higher self that continually directs us on the path that is for our highest good, and keeps us from experiences that no longer serve us.

Since Pluto entered Sagittarius in 1995, we have been witness to revelations of many secrets (Pluto) that have turned religious communities upside down (Sag), as well as death and destrution (Pluto) in the name of religion (Sag). Sagittarius rules religious ideology, the law, philosophy and man's search for meaning in life, as well as long distance travel, higher learning, and interest in other cultures. Pluto in Sagittarius has heightened the power of globalization as well as revealed its inherent dangers (because with Pluto we face death, we often find fear and danger there as well). In addition, under Pluto in Sagittarius we have seen an increase in power of religious groups and the fusing of church and state.

We are currently seeing the heightening of an ideological (Sag) war (Pluto) across the globe as a result of the combination of Pluto with Sagittarius, and religions (Sagittarius) are under tremendous scrutiny and requirements of faith (Sagittarius) are being challenged by the revelation of suppressed secrets (Pluto). Although the prosecution of priests for sexual abuse began while Pluto was in Scorpio in the 1980s (Pluto in Scorpio revealed secrets (Pluto) of sexual abuse (Scorpio) and created a global fever surrounding that issue), the real damage to the Church (Sagittarius) didn't occur until after Pluto's entry into Sagittarius in 1995 when a flurry of cases against priests were prosecuted in the court system.

The power (Pluto) of religious sects (Sag) across the globe are currently being challenged under Pluto in Sagittarius, paving the way for their possible destruction when Pluto enters Capricorn (the sign of social structures and government) in 2008. The Christian religions, which have manifested the most power over the last 2000 years, are being threatened by the eruption of suppressed information such as the idea that Mary Magdalene may have actually been an apostle and not a whore, thanks to the Da Vinci Code which brought into the public consciousness ideas that had been circulating underground for years. (read the book Holy Blood, Holy Grail by Baigent and Leigh).

Most comes the publication after a long verification process of the Gospel of Judas which claims that Judas was actually Jesus's most faithful apostle rather than the deceiver as claimed for the past 2000 years. Evidently there were over 30 gospels at the end of the 1st century b.c.e., but Iranaeus, bishop of Lyons, decided that there should be only four. The rest were banned, including gospels of other apostles such as Thomas and Mary, and these decisions were codified by the Council of Nicea in 325 which solidified the Church's official dogma. The banned gospels included such information as the fact that Jesus had brothers, which was very inconvenient in light of the Virgin Birth theory, and the idea that Mary was Jesus's constant companion which is mentioned in several of the banned works.

The recently released Gospel of Judas claims that Judas was actually the most loyal follower of Jesus, and "betrayed" him as part of a greater plan of Jesus to "sacrifice the man that clothes [him]." This idea has been bounced around for many years; it is integral to the story of the Passover Plot, a fascinating tale that shows the crucifixion and resurrection as a carefully thought-out plan crafted to coincide with biblical prophecy. If nothing else, these revelations force us to question our blind faith and determine for ourselves what the truth really is. --------

Tim Boucher has a great post today speculating on what the future will bring for religion. His ideas tie in closely with major upcoming planetary events:As the Latino population increases in America, and big companies start advertising more to and...