Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25, but that date was adopted for convenience as the actual birth date was not recorded and is not known. The story of the Star of Bethlehem offers a tantalizing clue—but searches of the heavens for an explanation of this phenomenon have been fruitless for more than 2,000 years.

Michael R. Molnar, an astronomer and former manager of the Physics Instructional Labs at Rutgers University, purchased an ancient coin for fifty dollars. The coin depicts a ram looking back at a star. At the time of Christ’s birth, Aries was a symbol of Judea. Ancient astrologers, such as the Magi, believed that a new king would be born when the Moon passed in front of Jupiter – an eclipse that would herald the Messiah’s coming. Ancient astronomers considered the moon and planets to be stars. Molnar wondered if his coin could have been issued as a response to the Great Messianic Portent, the Star of Bethlehem.

Relying on his knowledge of Astronomy and Astrology, Molnar deduced that the Star of Bethlehem could only have appeared when Jupiter was in the East. He found that an eclipse of Jupiter in Aries, when Jupiter was in the east, occurred on April 17, 6 B.C.E.

This date fits within the period between 7 to 4 B.C.E. that experts believe must contain Jesus’s birth. Molnar didn’t just run with his hypothesized date. He did an extensive study of biblical, historical, astrological and astronomical facts and compared his estimate against all other major theories of when Jesus was born. His date fit the facts best and his analysis was compelling for me. I believe that he found the real date. If you are interested, his accomplishment is described in detail in his book “The Star of Bethlehem – The legacy of the Magi”, published by Rutgers University Press.

Now that I knew Jesus’s birth date, and being an astrologer myself, I wondered if I could determine the time of his birth. When astrologers need to cast a chart for someone and know their birthdate and location but not the time, they cast a chart for 12 noon and then perform a process call rectification to establish an estimated birth time. Essentially, chart rectification tries many trial birth times on either side of noon until planets, house boundaries, and signs align to best represent the chart’s subject individual.

Astrology is an empirical art that is based on astronomy. The astronomical techniques are common but every astrologer composes his unique astrological method by combining several techniques which he feels offer the best results. My method is a blend of Classical and Modern Astrological techniques, along with personal innovations. In addition, I have found something called the Sabian Symbols to be of great value in Natal Astrology, the branch of astrology aimed at understanding individuals. The Sabian Symbols have somewhat of a wild and questionable beginning, but I have found that they work, and they work well.

A famous astrologer named Marc Edmund Jones learned of symbolic astrological degrees that were used by another famous astrologer, John Thomas – better known as Charubel. These were obtained psychically and were used as a sort of I Ching to rectify the ascendant of horoscopes. Essentially, Jones found them of some value but considered them to be too broad and moralistic. So he decided to create his own. This he did by taking 360 unlined 3” x 5” index cards, one for each degree of the zodiac, and shuffled them. In 1925, he took these to a secluded area Balboa Park in San Diego, along with his psychic friend, Elsie Wheeler. Taking each card upside down, so neither he nor Elsie knew the degree it represented, he asked Elsie to provide him with a picture she saw by inward vision. Marc hurriedly wrote down a brief description of the image. Continuously reshuffling cards, they continued doing this until all 360 cards were done. Later on, Marc refined the descriptions, creating “vignettes” for them and eventually published his most refined set in the book The Sabian Symbols in Astrology. Other astrologers soon took them up and incorporated them into their method. So these things have been in use for about 100 years.

Many books about Sabian Symbols have been published but the one that I have found easiest to use is “The Sabian Symbols – A Screen of Prophecy” by Diana E. Roche. This book has added expanded commentaries and innovative techniques for their use. It is this book’s interpretation of the Sabian Symbols that I used to rectify Jesus Christ’s natal chart, employing Marc Edmund Jones’ method, shown as follows:

At first glance, this horoscope doesn’t look too out of the ordinary, except for the stellium (concentration of planets) in the 10^th house and the See Saw or Hourglass pattern formed by the planets.

The see saw pattern depicts an individual that is interested in others and relationships. The placement of the two ends of the see saw shows someone who is torn between home, family, and neighbors and his career and spirituality.

His Ascendant or Rising sign is Cancer. This means that people see him as a very nurturing kind of person that cares deeply for others. His Sun Sign is Aries, showing someone that is very much a go-getter and energetic.

Both planets in the 9^th house of Spirituality (Venus and Uranus) are ruled by Jupiter, which is located in his 10^th House, representing his career. The 9^th House itself, being in Pisces is also ruled by Jupiter. These are a threefold tie of his spirituality to his career.

The stellium of planets in the 10^th House greatly accentuates that career. The preponderance of planets (8) being in the above hemisphere shows a person that is an extrovert who will have a public career. The preponderance of planets (7) being in the East hemisphere shows an individual in a Sowing Incarnation who has great freedom of action and is a self-starter and self-motivator.

Now let’s briefly discuss what the most revealing of the Sabian Symbols of this chart say. The descriptions are quotations from Roche’s book.

Jesus’s 10 House cusp shows his Vocation. It is in the 27^th degree of Pisces. The image is the Harvest Moon, keyword is Benediction, and the Theme is Climax. This symbol speaks to fullness, ripeness and maturity, or the highest point in any cycle that immediately precedes achievement and carries within itself the seeds of new beginnings. The image of a harvest moon alludes to a time for reaping what has been sown, and so it symbolizes the concept of karma. But the deeper significance of this symbol is discovered in that crowning moment when potentiality is transformed into actuality.

Jesus’s Mars is in the 3^rd degree of Taurus. The Mars point shows the place in life where an individual will expend his energy and work the hardest to get things done. His Mars is in the 10^th house, identifying his career as this place. The Keyword for this degree is Hopefulness, and the theme is The Higher Path. This symbol speaks to man’s growing realization of divinity, and to the fact that nothing can stop an individual from pursuing his goals or dreams when he believes they can be realized. … Its three-leaf structure [clover] also represents the Holy Trinity. … Determination to keep going until goal is achieved.

His Planet of Oriental Appearance is Venus, in the 22^nd degree of Pisces. This planet’s symbol shows the vocation. Here the keyword is Mandate and the theme is Higher Authority. This symbol speaks to revelation, and to the transcendental experience that brings insight and awareness of a higher authority. … it can also refer to a mystical experience or spiritual quickening that transforms the way an individual lives his life. On a practical level, this degree can indicate a change in church doctrine, new public policies, or laws, or a modernization of codes and procedures. Positive: At its highest, this symbol represents moral integrity, a willingness to make personal sacrifices for the good of the whole, and a personal commitment to making a positive difference in people’s lives.

The South Node is in the 20^th degree of Libra. It shows the point of forward opportunity. The image here is a Jewish Rabbi. The keyword is Heritage and the theme is The Golden Thread. This symbol speaks to effectiveness in helping others understand eternal or immortal values. The image of a Jewish rabbi symbolizes religious teachings, spiritual tradition, and wisdom. The emphasis here is to responsibility to a group, and the implication is that such a responsibility requires social maturity and a harmonious blend of both masculine and feminine qualities, or strength and assertiveness in equal proportion to gentleness and nurturance. The suggestion in this degree is that any individual or group dedicated to the highest ideals can become a channel or instrument for the aspirations of all humankind. Positive: At its highest, this symbol represents extraordinary insight, vision, and determination to build on the achievements of the giants in the past.

Jesus’s ascendant is on the 12^th degree of Cancer. The Keyword is Materialization, and the Theme is Universal Brotherhood. This symbol speaks to brotherhood and to broadening personal opportunities by reaching out and beyond the artificial boundaries of the immediate social milieu to embrace all the peoples of the world. The image of a Chinese woman nursing a baby with a message emphasizes nurturance, service and the sharing of personal resources. The baby has a “message” that was not further described in the first recorded description of this image but the inference can be made that the message represents something to be learned or intuitively understood. In the 1931 mimeograph version of this image, the baby was described as having about it “the glorious nimbus of divine incarnation.” It is possible that this message pertains to the universal fellowship and love. Positive: At its highest this symbol represents service and a special gift for bringing culturally diverse people together in harmony.

Jesus’s Part of Fortune (not shown on the chart) is in the 28^th degree of Gemini. The Sabian Symbol image is a man declared bankrupt. The Keyword is Deliverance and the theme is Starting Over. This symbol speaks to the end of a cycle, and the need to start over or begin anew whenever all present opportunities for growth or sustainment have been exhausted.

There are other Sabian Symbols associated with this chart. Their meanings are less important but they show that Jesus had the necessary qualities to pull off what he did.

I also use a technique that I developed to calculate the strength of houses. It is based on principles from Traditional Astrology, however it is too lengthy to discuss within a single post. Suffice it to say, it shows a very unusually powered individual with a great career.

So at what time was Christ born? It came out to be 10:16:42 a.m. in Bethlehem. This has surprised some people who have expected that time to be night. Their expectation is probably based on the stories, images, paintings, and movie depictions that have been presented to us throughout time.

After all my research, I started to celebrate April 17 as the real Nativity but quickly discovered that it often coincides with Easter, another very important Christian time. So I decided to go with the flow and continue to celebrate it on the 25 of December.