Astrotheology

I have always had great interest in the many religions and myths of the world. Although I was raised as a Christian, I have studied all the major ( and many of the minor) belief systems throughout history.

The primordial factor that ties many of the organized religions and mythological stories together is the steady, mostly predictable motions of the celestial bodies. The Sun, the Moon, the stars, the planets, and the Milky Way were the ever-present natural forces that were studied and worshiped by our ancestors. The interplay of these cosmic entities were vital to the conception of time, needed for agriculture, migrations, and other types of planning.

I don't know with absolute certainty whether the historical Jesus actually lived. Regardless, the moral & spiritual teachings attributed to him are some of the most enlightened mankind has ever received. I do think that many of the stories and rituals associated with him have some origin in astrotheology and the motions of heavenly bodies, especially the Sun.

It is a well-established fact that the institution we know as The Catholic Church adapted the practices & beliefs of many "pagan" systems, in order to assimilate the indigenous populations of whatever regions The Roman Empire conquered. This would obviously have included Sun worship and any other nature-based religions of Europe and the surrounding areas.

There is a lot of fascinating information and connections available that tie together these various cosmic threads and their relation to religion- including the Sun's motions, the seasons, equinoxes, & solstices, the zodiac, precession & "The Great Year", and other celestial phenomena. The preeminent book on the subject is "Hamlet's Mill", and there are many YouTube videos explaining the mysteries of astrotheology.

Here are some I've watched recently: