Wednesday, January 19, 2011

The Biblical Origin of the As Above So Below Theory

There is an ancient concept about a sort of connection that exists between stars and days of the week (Sun Day, Moon Day…), Birthday and Zodiacal Signs, Body parts and Zodiacal Signs, Metals and Olimpic Gods (Mercury etc.). Our ancestors used to think that there is a sort of connection between Macrocosm and Microcosm. They even coined the expression “As above, so below”.

Their basic assumption was that if a certain system includes 12 parts (e.g. Zodiac) and another system includes 12 parts (e.g.months) there is a sort of connection between the parts in each system so that the first in one system matches the first in the other system
Capricorn = 22 December - 19 January
Aquarius = 20 January - 18 February  etc.

This is a most prominent concept in astrology and in alchemy.

In the Bible this same concept appears
1. in Exodus 39:14
“The stones were corresponding to the names of the sons of Israel; they were twelve, corresponding to their names, engraved with the engravings of a signet, each with its name for the twelve tribes”.

2. In the connection between the name of a Tribe and its estate: Yehuda - Jerusalem and south, Reuben - South Jordan River etc.

3. In the connection between the name of a Tribe and its blessing (Genesis 49).

4. In the connection between the Zodiac and the Israeli Tribes in Joseph’s dream (Genesis 37) where Joseph’s eleven brothers (tribes) bow to him as the 12th star, while each star represents a sign of the zodiac. (The sun represents Jacob and the moon represents Rachel).

This sort of thinking lead, so it seems, to the interpretation that the 7-branched candelabrum correspond to the 7 days of the week and also to the interpretation that the Star of David represents the 7 days of the week: the hexagon in the center represents Saturday while the 6-trianles around it represent the working days.