Herschel claims that the symbolic representation of Orion is an eight-pointed cross. While the three belt stars certainly align and the four ‘corner’ stars can be connected to form diagonals, Herschel has been very creative to demonstrate how the six tiny stars that form the ‘Sword of Orion’ form yet the eighth radii of the eight-pointed cross. The problem is that there are no other known historic references that identified Orion with an eight-pointed cross.

Notice that the diagonal in the upper left corner has two instead of one cross bar through its axis. This diagonal seems to be special and is associated with the Summer Solstice since its sunset occurs in the North-West, the region where the double cross bars occur. The axis connecting the cardinal directions East and West represents the Equinox axis.

The same double cross bars have been used in the eight pointed cross in diagram A. This time however the double cross bars occur at the axis representing the Equinox. This corresponds with the central depiction of the Equinox Sun in diagram A. We therefore suggest that diagram A is referring to the Equinox.

Wayne Herschel has cleverly identified the eight stars in the rim of diagram A as parts of the Pleiades constellation. On his website, Herschel explains in great detail how the Pleiades can be constructed from these stars. His explanation is rather complex and involves the joining of the stars with a jump in the sequence for star number ‘6’ and removing the pencil from the paper not once, but twice!  According to Herschel, star number 6 is a ‘lost’ star of the Pleiades constellation that is no longer visible in our present time.

Aaron Parlier has worked out a far simpler and more logical rendition of the Pleiades star cluster.  His solution requires neither a jump in the sequence nor does it involve removing the pencil from the paper.  Also, Parlier’s rendition does not account for an irregularity with any ‘lost’ star.

The Pleiades in the Key of Solomon form the pointer to the Silver Gate, the place of the Sun during a Great Celestial Conjunction at an Equinox or Solstice.

Starting at position 1 in the rim the stars are assembled by, as Herschel states, ‘binding’ them. Each star has a beam protruding from it and when these beams are connected in a counter clockwise direction starting with star 1 in exactly the same layout as they occur in the diagram, the Pleiades star cluster is formed.  The beam of star number 5 is pointing downwards exactly in the direction of the Silver Gate. The Pleiades template in the picture above is exactly the same template that has been tested on Stonehenge whereas the star map was pointing to the Summer Solstice Sun on the Silver Gate at the current Great Celestial Conjunction (summer solstice 1998).

In the diagram, star number 5 (red encircled) appears straight above the central star with the light beam inside the square. The beam of star 5 is pointing exactly downwards towards the central Sun with the beam. Since the central Sun itself inside the square represents the Equinox Sun, the authors therefore surmise that: 

Diagram A in the Key of Solomon symbolizes a Great Celestial Conjunction (8-pointed cross) during an Equinox (double cross bars in the 8-pointed cross and Equinox Sun in the central square). The diagram may therefore refer to the last Great Celestial Conjunction when the vernal equinox was in the Gate of Silver! This amounts to 25,920 (years in a Great Year)/4 = 6480 years ago. That equates to +/- 4482 B.C. and is roughly the same year as encoded in the Palette of Narmar.

References

http://www.keyofsolomon.net

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sol_Invictus

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon

http://www.esotericarchives.com/solomon/ksol.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_(constellation)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horned_God

http://ancientegypt.hypermart.net/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baal