Analysis of the Obvious

When familiar things happen, mankind doesn't get bothered much about them.  It requires a very unusual mind to undertake the analysis of the obvious . . .

One of those is the planetary trio that will occur this evening in the night sky.  Look to the west just after the setting of the sun and you will see Jupiter, Mercury and Venus just above the horizon.  A planetary trio like this will not reoccur until 2021.

May 25th, 2013
Oklahoma Skyline - Mike O'Neal

We see the stars  in the evening sky all the time.  So why is the obvious  . . . interesting?  The first chapter of Genesis, 14th verse, states "And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years."

Both Mercury and Venus will appear as a "morning star" or "evening star" throughout the year, however, Jupiter will only appear with Mercury and Venus as an evening star once every 12 years.   Because of their orbits, they will always appear on the same side of the horizon as the sun when they are seen.

The Native American legends and the correlating 260-day Sacred Round (also called the tzolkin) Mayan and Aztec calendars state that Venus (the brightest of the stars), or the "Dawn Star," follows the life and death of a white and bearded god named Quetzalcoatl who visited them in the first century AD (which sounds a lot like the resurrected Christ).

Their calendar closely followed Venus or the "Dawn Star" in marking important religious or spiritual events throughout history.  It may well be that long ago these principles were understood by them. Jesus Christ referred to himself as the "bright and morning star" in Revelations 22:16.

Venus Cycle as observed on Earth
(JohnPratt.com) 

To understand why Venus (the brighter star) and Mercury are called "Morning" and "Evening" stars, see the Venus Cycle pictured to the right. Points 1, 2, and 3 correlate with "man's conception" according to the Mayan Priests and their Sacred Round calendar. Numbers 4 & 5 correlate with Christ's adult life and mortal ministry on the Earth.

According to the Venus and Hebrew calendars, the three wise men appeared on May 27th, 1 B.C., correlating with the three stars coming together at their closest positions this evening.

All three planets can be seen within a simple binocular view with Mercury being the most difficult to see without the aid of binoculars.

Either way, pull out your binoculars this evening at dusk and show your family something they won't see for another 12 years. That's what I'll be doing . . .