Past Articles

AR 42 Jupiter in Virgo

AR 41 Geometry of the Spheres

AR 40 Saturn in Cancer, June, 2003 to July, 2005

AR 39 The Poles of the Zodiac

AR 38
Uranus In
Pisces
2003-2011

AR 37
Twelfth Planet, Plutinos or
Planet X

AR 36
Eclipses – Promise or Peril?

AR35
Solar Fire

AR34
The Lunar Mansions of Vedic Astrology

AR 33
Children of the Gods

AR 32
Wheels Within Wheels

AR 31
Horoscopes of Destiny

AR 30
Zodicac of Dendera

AR 29
A Star Is Born

AR 28
Age of Aquarius

AR 27
Persia's Royal Stars of Ancients

AR 23
The Lore of a Shaman

"And the twelve gates were adorned with twelve pearls, one for each gate." Book of Revelation 21:21

Whether or not someone gives credence to astrology, the idea that each month of the year has a "birth stone," a special gem related to it, is a familiar notion, and wearing an item of jewelry containing a birth stone is commonplace. The idea of wearing birth stones as jewelry originated in Poland in the eighteenth century, but the origin of the practice is rooted in more ancient traditions.

The architecture of the "Holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God" (Rev 21:10), was magnificently bejeweled and corresponded to the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. "The city had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, with names inscribed thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. On the east were three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb . . . and the foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with all kinds of precious stones . . . and the twelve gates were adorned with twelve pearls, one for each of the gates, and each gate was made of a single pearl; and the great street of the city was of pure gold, as it were transparent glass." (portions of Revelations 21:12-21)

In THE CURIOUS LORE OF PRECIOUS STONES, George Frederick Kunz says, "It is easy to trace in this description the substitution of the twelve apostles for the twelve tribes in connection with the precious stone enumerations. And we also have the twelve angels, associated at a later date with the months and the signs of the zodiac."

Guardian of the Gate

A vision of Saint Peter, guarding the entrance to the "Pearly Gates" of heaven, is a familiar icon. Saint Peter was seen as the leader of the twelve apostles and was therefore awarded the first position as Gatekeeper of Heaven. Likewise, the first birth stone (Jasper), was assigned to Saint Peter, and to the month of March, as spring equinox is the symbolic beginning of the year. Perhaps the original practice dated back four thousand years ago when the year began at the spring equinox when Aires, the Ram (first sign), rose before the equinox sun.

Kunz also says, "That the foundation stones were inscribed with the names of the apostles (and therefore twelve tribes and zodiac signs) is expressly stated (Rev 21:14), but it was not until the eight or ninth century that the commentators on Revelation busied themselves with finding analogies between these stones and the apostles. At the outset, the symbolism of the stones was looked upon from a purely religious standpoint." One of the earliest writers to discuss these correspondences was Andreas, bishop of Caesara. "The jasper, which like the emerald is of a greenish hue, probably signifies St. Peter, chief of the apostles . . . as the sapphire is likened to the heavens, I conceive it to mean St. Paul, since he was caught up to the third heaven, where his soul was firmly fixed," and so on.

Breastplate of the High Priest

When the Jews fled Egyptian captivity during Pharonic times, among the items they were instructed to craft, or take with them, was a sacred garment which later became a holy relic. "And you shall make the breastplate of judgment with the work of a craftsman . . . and you shall set in it setting stones, four rows of stones; the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz and an emerald. . . " Exodus (28:15-19) Called the breastplate of the High Priest, or the breastplate of judgment, this sacred vestment of twelve stones was said to confer the power of God upon the Old Testament patriarch, Aaron. Several Old Testament stories describe how the stones on the breastplate of judgment turned cloudy or murky when someone did not tell the truth. The power to discern truth from falsehood was somehow bestowed on the priest by the behavior of the stones themselves.

As the twelve tribes wandered in the desert, each tribe carried a standard and displayed it as a flag or insignia while camping in the wilderness. The colors of the flags, and each tribe's symbols, were based on gem colors from the High Priest's breastplate.

We are likewise told that the stones themselves carried the power of the twelve tribes, "And the stones shall be engraved with the names of the sons of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engravings of a signet; every one shall be engraved with his name according to the number of the twelve tribes." (Exodus 28:21). The potency of these tribal stones has survived ancient Egypt and the Hebrew Exodus, still thriving today as birth stones, gemstones of the month.

Sacred Geometry of Crystals

To the ancients power was contained in the stone's color as well as the geometry of the crystal. Minerals are formed in the earth through the forces of fire or water, ancient elements of alchemy. Igneous rocks are formed through dramatic fiery events while sedimentary minerals accumulate over time through water's influence. Metamorphic stones form through a combination of influences.

Crystals grow in accordance with mathematical law, according to principles of what is sometimes called Sacred Geometry. The external geometric form of a crystal is the outward, visible expression of the mineral's internal atomic structure. This matrix is at the heart of any crystal and also determines other characteristics such as hardness, fracture and cleavage and its relation to every specimen of the same mineral. Because crystals hold a numeric frequency of shape and form their atoms vibrate in accordance with the characteristic and significance of that number.

Stones of Power

In earlier times the power of the stones were believe to embody certain qualities or an archetypal energy which was used to heal an ailment or illness, strengthen a weakness, or perhaps to counterbalance an excess. The belief that gems and stones have special qualities, relating to the time of year and perhaps also containing a special virtue of talismanic power, can be historically traced to the writings of Josephus, in the first century of the Current Era (AD), and to Saint Jerome in the early fifth century. In THE CURIOUS LORE OF PRECIOUS STONES, George Frederick Kunz informs us that both Josephus and St. Jerome assert the connection between the twelve stones of the High Priest's breastplate, the twelve months of the year, and the twelve zodiacal signs.

The order of the foundation stones in Revelation corresponds with the tribes and signs, this determined subsequent gems of the months. In the beginning, the "stone of the month" was worn by everyone during the period that particular "tribe" or sign was thought to have the most efficacy. Later when the zodiacal signs were engraved on gems to endow them with special virtue, the Hebrew letters designating the sign (or at least the initial character), were often cut upon the gem. Engraving a sacred letter upon a gem, and wearing the stone with intention, imbued it with talismanic potency.

Today, the signs don't move in concert with the months of the Gregorian calendar, so while modern birth stones are assigned to the calendar month, the signs range from roughly the twenty-first of one month to the twenty-first of the next. Over time, substitutions and changes have been made in the order to arrive at the familiar list of birth stones in use today. However, it is interesting to note that when changes to the calendar are accounted for, the modern list of gems and months still holds true for the most part to the original foundation stones from Revelation.

Astrology and the New Jerusalem

A diagram of the new Jerusalem from the Book of Revelation bears striking resemblance to an astrology chart with its twelve divisions or "houses" which outline the signs and contain the wandering planets. The twelve jeweled gates of heaven can also be seen as portions of the ecliptic occupied by the archetypal twelve signs, stages of the hero's journey.

The architecture and ancient power of twelve shown by gates, angels, apostles and zodiac signs also relates to the mystery of our spiritual anatomy, the heavenly city within. In Qabalah the Tree of Life exists in four worlds simultaneously and symbolism is multi-layered. In Qabalistic lore, Jerusalem, "Bride of the Lamb" is also a metaphor for the sacred anatomy of the spiritualized human.

To the initiate, the sacred geometry encoded in these attributions is a reflection of the accomplishment of what is termed the Great Work, the successful transmutation of lead into gold and the attainment of mastery. When the "Great Work" is accomplished, the new city is built and the Bridegroom, literally the Anointed One, may enter and reside. From a three-dimensional perspective, perhaps the heavenly Jerusalem is a symbolic dodecahedron - a solid figure with twelve faces - meant to be built from within.

In a modern sense, the twelve jeweled gates of heaven are also the months of the year, marking the apparent passage of the Sun through the sky (ecliptic) on its annual journey. By converting the Biblical Foundation Stones to monthly birthstones we can partake in this passage more consciously, honoring ancient wisdom.

In the New Testament gospel of Luke, a much-quoted passage appears, "For the Kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:21). Perhaps if we wear a birth stone, or zodiacal stone of the month with intention, we can invoke the archetypal energy of the angels, setting the foundation stones for the inner temple.