John the Baptist’s Stars

In our search for John the Baptist in the stars, we have a number of clues in the Gospels, and the Catholic Encyclopedia provides us with several more. In keeping with our knowledge that Jesus personifies the sun (Gospel Zodiac), he is in the house of Aquarius on January 22 when he meets John the Baptist.

The Catholic Encyclopedia on John the Baptist gives us the dates of three holy days that are no longer celebrated: The celebration of the Decollation on August 29 marks the day he was beheaded. The feast of the Conception of the Precursor on September 24 marks when he was conceived. The feast of St. John on June 24 marks when he was born.

These dates may be obsolete to the Christian Church, but their antiquity brings us closer to the time of truth when the Gospels were written.

The commemoration of his Nativity is one of the oldest feasts, if not the oldest feast, introduced into both the Greek and Latin liturgies to honour a saint. But why is the feast proper, as it were, of St. John on the day of his nativity, whereas with other saints it is the day of their death?

Because it was meant that the birth of him who, unlike the rest, was "filled with the Holy Ghost even from his mother's womb", should be signalized as a day of triumph. The celebration of the Decollation [beheading] of John the Baptist, on 29 August, enjoys almost the same antiquity.

We find also in the oldest martyrologies mention of a feast of the Conception of the Precursor on 24 September. But the most solemn celebration in honour of this saint was always that of his Nativity, preceded until recently by a fast. Many places adopted the custom introduced by St. Sabas of having a double Office on this day, as on the day of the Nativity of the Lord.

The first Office, intended to signify the time of the Law and the Prophets which lasted up to St. John (Luke, xvi, 16), began at sunset, and was chanted without Alleluia; the second, meant to celebrate the opening of the time of grace, and gladdened by the singing of Alleluia, was held during the night.

The resemblance of the feast of St. John with that of Christmas was carried farther, for another feature of the 24th of June was the celebration of three masses: the first, in the dead of night, recalled his mission of Precursor; the second, at daybreak, commemorated the baptism he conferred; and the third, at the hour of Terce, honoured his sanctity.

Summarizing the information above, these are the dates we should be looking for.

January 22: John baptized Jesus.

September 24: John was conceived.

June 24: John is born

August 29: John was beheaded.

Baptism—January 22

John comes out of the wilderness to baptize Jesus every January 22, at noon when the sun enters the constellation of Aquarius.

Constellations are said to be in the wilderness when they are not in the house of the sun. If the wilderness was real, we might wonder who John was preaching to besides the wild animals—a wilderness, by definition, is void of people.

¹In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea,
²“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
³For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”(Matt 3:1-3; Mark 1:2-3)

⁸⁰And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness till the day of his manifestation to Israel. (Luke 1:80)

Jesus meets John when the sun is in Aquarius

Conception—September 24

1. John’s mother was Elizabeth, the wife of the priest Zechariah. Both were childless when Elizabeth was past her child bearing years, and righteous and blameless before God, meaning they were without sin.

⁵In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
⁶And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
⁷But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years. (Luke. 1:5-7)

2. John was conceived by divine conception.

¹³But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. (Luke 1:13)

3. Christians make a big deal about virgin conception as if once a woman has been penetrated, she is no longer clean. The miracle that supposedly gave Jesus his innocence was his divine conception. But Luke tells us that John’s parents were also free of sin and that his mother Elizabeth conceived John through the Holy Spirit. This would mean that both men were born without sin.

4. The picture below shows Aquarius a month later at noon on October 24. The stars at the top of the Aquarius emerge above the horizon on September 24 at noon.

John is conceived when Aquarius appears above the horizon.

Birth—June 24

1. In the sixth month after the divine conception of Elizabeth, the angel Gabriel came to Mary to deliver the news of her divine conception.

²⁶In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,
²⁷to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
²⁸And he came to her and said, “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” (Luke 1:26-28)

³⁶And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. (Luke 1:36)

2. The book of John repeats their six month age difference in a different way. John the Baptist says he was sent before the Christ, and that he must increase while the Christ decreases. Translated, it means the sun and the stars of Aquarius are six months out of phase. This has no connection with the date of the baptism.

²⁷John answered, “No one can receive anything except what is given him from heaven.
²⁸You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.
²⁹He who has the bride is the bridegroom; the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice; therefore this joy of mine is now full.
³⁰He must increase, but I must decrease." (John 3:26-30)

3. John was born on June 24 at midnight because Jesus was born six months later on December 25. Therefore on June 24, Aquarius is at the height of its ascent when the sun is at the bottom of its ascent.

John is born when Aquarius is at its zenith.

4. To explain what Jesus meant that the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence since the days of John the Baptist. Astronomically, after the sun passes the summer solstice it continues to descend until December 21. Allegorically, it is seen as a time of violence when the dark forces are beating it down.

¹²From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and men of violence take it by force.
¹³For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John;
¹⁴and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. (Matt. 11:11-14)

Death—August 29

1. Fearing John’s powers, Herod had him arrested and imprisoned, because John was critical of his second marriage. Herod was afraid to kill him because he was so popular, until his stepdaughter pleased him with her dancing. At Herod’s offer to grant her whatever she wishes, she asked for John’s head on a platter. So Herod had him beheaded and served on a platter. John’s disciples took his body and buried it.

¹⁴King Herod heard of it; for Jesus’ name had become known. Some said, “John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; that is why these powers are at work in him.”
¹⁵But others said, “It is Elijah.” And others said, “It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.”
¹⁶But when Herod heard of it he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.”
¹⁷For Herod had sent and seized John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife; because he had married her.
¹⁸For John said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”
¹⁹And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not,
²⁰for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and kept him safe. When he heard him, he was much perplexed; and yet he heard him gladly.
²¹But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and the leading men of Galilee.
²²For when Herodias’ daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will grant it.”
²³And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.”
²⁴And she went out, and said to her mother, “What shall I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the baptizer.”
²⁵And she came in immediately with haste to the king, and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”
²⁶And the king was exceedingly sorry; but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her.
²⁷And immediately the king sent a soldier of the guard and gave orders to bring his head. He went and beheaded him in the prison,
²⁸and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother.
²⁹When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb. (Mark 6:14-29; Matt. 14:1-12)

2. Aquarius is close to disappearing below the horizon on August 29 at midnight. At this time, the sun exits Leo and enters Virgo. Aquarius has two faint stars on its head which can barely be seen; it almost looks headless. Because it is the hottest time of the year, Leo the lion got its moniker as the King of beasts.

3. From these analogies, Aquarius’ two faint stars represent his head being cut off. Leo is King Herod and Virgo is Herod’s young stepdaughter.

John dies when Aquarius disappears below the horizon.