COSMOS, CHRISTOS, & CONSCIOUSNESS
Courtney Roberts, M.A.
The Mystery that Heralded the Coming of Christ
(Career Press/NewPage 2007)
New Light on the Star of Bethlehem…
So why would the authors (and editors) of the Christian Gospels choose Zoroastrian Magi and astrology to herald the coming of Jesus Christ? Did the Magi have some special significance then that we have since lost? After all, the New Testament narrative opens with them. So who were the Magi, and did their astrological beliefs really lead them to Jesus?
Now, for the first time, in The Star of the Magi, an author with a solid background in the history of astrology in ancient religion examines the Star. The result is a breathtaking blend of history, religious studies, astronomy, and astrology that tells the whole story as it has never been told before.The Magi had definite expectations of a coming world savior who would be born of a virgin, all mysteriously encoded and foretold in Magian astrology. These ancient Persian beliefs had tremendous bearing on the development of Jewish messianic expectations—they inspired early Christians and their Jewish and Persian neighbors, and gave them hope in their desperate battles against the Romans.
Astronomy alone cannot unlock the secrets of the Star. There are simply too many phenomena to choose from—even astronomers concede that that we must now look to astrology for better answers.
At the Intersection of Science and Spirit:
We're all too familiar with the rigid, narrow materialism associated with modern science; or more aptly, modern scientism. Too often, this mindset dominates the very vocal, and public debate over topics like genetic determinism and sociobiology.
Philosophy Dictionary: scientismPejorative term for the belief that the methods of natural science, or the categories and things recognized in natural science, form the only proper elements in any philosophical or other enquiry. The classic statement of scientism is the physicist E. Rutherford's saying ‘there is physics and there is stamp-collecting’. Philosophers wary of scientism believe that it distorts or denies the special methods of psychology and interpretation (see Verstehen), or tries to impose a crass reductionism where it is neither plausible nor necessary.
Wikipedia Definition: Scientism:
The term scientism can be used as a neutral term to describe the view that natural science has authority over all other interpretations of life, such as philosophical, religious, mythical, spiritual, or humanistic explanations, and over other fields of inquiry, such as the social sciences. It also can imply a criticism of a perceived misapplication or misuse of the authority of science in either of two directions:
- The term is often used as a pejorative to indicate the improper usage of science or scientific claims. In this sense, the charge of scientism often is used as a counter-argument to appeals to scientific authority in contexts where science might not apply, such as when the topic is understood to be beyond the scope of scientific inquiry.
- The term is also used to pejoratively refer to "the belief that the methods of natural science, or the categories and things recognized in natural science, form the only proper elements in any philosophical or other inquiry," with a concomitant "elimination of the psychological dimensions of experience". It thus expresses a position critical of (at least the more extreme expressions of) positivism. (Compare: scientific imperialism.
In contrast, the work of Dr. Bruce Lipton, which explores the myriad interactions of consciousness and biology, or soul and cell, emerges as a refreshing antidote to the disempowering, deterministic materialism of proponents like Dawkins, etc.
Below is a quote from Lipton's website, regarding his latest book, The Biology of Belief:
Insights into the Convergence of Science and Spirituality
"Until recently, conventional science has held that genes control life, a concept known as genetic determinism. While this disempowering belief is still held as truth by the mainstream public, leading edge research in the exciting new field of epigenetics reveals a completely different truth. Genes do not control life. It is the environment, and more specifically, our perception of the environment that controls gene activity. In the end, it comes down to a simple case of “mind over matter” in controlling the fate of our lives.
My research on cloned stem cells, initiated over forty years ago, revealed the mechanisms by which perceptions created in the mind control the lives and fate of the 50 trillion living cells that comprise our bodies. Thought processes cause the brain to release information-containing neurochemical and vibrational signals that are sent to the cells. Signals sent by the brain are translated into biological responses in the cell through the action of protein “perception” switches built into the cell’s skin (membrane). The membrane proteins that “read” and respond to these environmental signals are called receptors..."
To Read More:
An Astrological Analysis of Divine Intercession (Llewellyn, 2004)
Lourdes, Fatima, Medjugorje - millions of people of all faiths and nations flock to Marian shrines around the world; a testament to the enduring human desire for transcendence and meaning. Visions of the "Luminous Lady in White" abound: at Zeitun, Egypt, she was witnessed by hundred of thousands of Jews, Muslims, and both Protestant and Orthodox Christians. Courtney Roberts adds a new and fascinating dimension to these miraculous sightings, exploring them through the perspective of astrology.
...The first of its kind to introduce the astrological dimension into comparative religious studies,Visions of the Virgin delicately unravels the tangled skein of pre-Christian goddesses woven into the cults and legends of the Virgin Mary, and reflected in the stars, revealing a tradition of goddess worship still very much alive and well in contemporary Christianity.
For Reviews and more information: