Interdisciplinary Astrology, Questionnaire Example

A doctor could use astrology for medicine by saying that when an object is high in the sky, you will have a healthy body part, but when an object is low in the sky, you will have problems with a body part. E.g., when the Sun is high in the sky, you will have a healthy heart because the Sun rules over the heart, but when Mercury is low in the sky, you will have problems with your memory because Mercury rules over the brain.                  

Give two of your own examples, just like the examples above, of when you could have a healthy body part and why. Also give two examples, just like the examples above, of when you could have problems with a body part and why.

Do you think that doctors explain conditions of body parts according to astrology today? Explain why or why not.

A woman will be more fertile when the moon is full because the Moon rules over the ovaries. When Venus is high in the sky she might have a more successful birth because Venus rules over the reproductive system. I do not think doctors explain conditions of body parts according to astrology today because we know much more about modern science today and whether or not astrological diagnoses were accurate in ancient times we have more effective ways of diagnosing and solving medical problems today.

Explain in your own words two examples from the reading where there is a similarity between something in astrology and the Bible. If you know the Christian Bible, then think of and explain your own original example of a similarity between something in astrology and something in the Bible. E.g., in the Bible, Christ died and three days later came back to life. This is similar to the way the Moon disappears when it becomes a new Moon, but a few days later it reappears as a waxing crescent.

Do you think that theologians use astrological events when they talk about the Bible today? Explain why or why not.

Some astrological aspects appear in the bible. The first example in the reading discusses the correlation of the seven celestial bodies- the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn- to the seven angels in the revelation of John. The other astonishing example in which we can see the relation between astrology and the Bible is in the story of the Magi coming to see the Baby Jesus by following the star. The star is Sirius and astrologically the Magi are the three stars of Orion’s belt. On Christmas, December 25^th the Magi arrive at Jesus’ birthplace under the star. This is the same day that astrologically the four stars all point to the sunrise, symbol of birth. I do not think theologians commonly use astrological events when they talk about the Bible today because many people have no knowledge of the stars and also because I think astrology highlights the pagan influences on the Bible. Christmas was originally a pagan holiday probably for precisely the reason that the stars pointed towards the sunrise. The possibility that the Bible is just a story to represent these stars undermines the message the theologians want to send about the Bible as the word of God.