Constellations Testify of the Savior?

Yesterday, I got to thinking about my baby's astrological sign - just out of curiosity. I realized he's almost four months old and I had no clue what his sign is. I'm always fascinated by astrology and if there is a connection to us, probably because the Divine Creator of our universe has purpose and reason behind everything He does. There seems to be so much more than meets the eye. As far as astrology in relation to sorcery, psychics and fortune telling - I'm not interested in that at all and that's not what this post is about. But I am curious if there is a connection to certain traits a person has in relation to when they were born. I'm wondering if astrology is at all like the internet - it can be used for good and evil. After you read this post I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions about this topic (please comment below - rather than emailing me). 

Every time I meet someone who seems to be a lot like me, I get this feeling they are a Pisces just like me. So I'll ask, "When is your birthday?" After giving me a funny look they tell me and sure enough they are a Pisces! Though some might find this utterly ridiculous, I can't help but wonder if there is some truth behind it. Pondering the possibility of there being greater significance to the astrological signs, I can't help but wonder the possibility of us being born on a specific date to give us specific strengths we need to accomplish our missions, or if we are born on our special day because of the strengths and qualities we already possess (or maybe neither). We know that the sun stars and moon have an impact on the Earth and we know that the Lord's timing is perfect and everything He does has great purpose. The Hebrew calendar is based off of astrology (which coincides with LDS conference dates) and the Lord has used astrology to mark signs of significant events and prophecy.

Back to my son's sign.I found out he is an Aries (April 10th). I wanted to read the characteristics of an Aries to see if they matched what I already see in him. In that moment I had the thought to look up the Savior's real birthday - which I learned was possibly on April 17th - also an Aries! Though some LDS members believe it to be on April 6th, the majority of scholars throughout the world believe it to be on the 17th.

What I read next blew my mind and gave me chills! If the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was in fact born on April 17th, it was surely meant to be. Here is what I learned about the Aries sign:

Aries is the first sign of the zodiac

Upon learning this I immediately thought of this scripture:

Doctrine and Covenants 110:4

I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father.  

Aries is a Ram

A ram is a male lamb. There are countless references in the Bible and Book of Mormon to Jesus being called the Lamb of God.

Revelation 21:23

And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. 

Interestingly, in Latin the word "ram" means "before". 

Doctrine and Covenants 93:7

And he bore record, saying: I saw his glory, that he was in the beginning, before the world was; 


The key phrase for the Aries is "I am" 

Am is in Ram. Immediately the scripture came into my mind Exodus 3:14

And God said unto Moses, I Am that I Am and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you.

I learned in Sunday school at the beginning of this year that this is Jesus Christ is speaking to Moses. I always thought it was our Father in Heaven. Jesus Christ is the mediator and mouthpiece for our Father in Heaven.


The zodiac symbol for Aries is "As above"

 John 3:31

He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.

Luke 11:2

And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

Isaiah 66:15

The zodiac element for Aries is "Fire"

For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire.

2 Nephi 20:16

Therefore shall the Lord, the Lord of Hosts, send among his fat ones, leanness; and under his glory he shall kindle a burning like the burning of a fire.

The Key Characteristics of an Aries are:

Determined, fiery, executive skills, born leader, loyal, physical, driven, ambitious. Our Savior was very loyal to the Father and led His sheep perfectly. 

The Destiny Planet for Aries is:

The Sun. He is "the Son" and his brightness is greater than the sun.

The Affirmation for Aries is:

"I am the best yet I am humble". We know the Savior didn't need this affirmation - it's already who He was (who He is).  

The Third Class of Aries:

Aries are divided into three classes based upon the dates. Being born between 11 and 19 April means you are endowed with greater humanitarian characteristics which means you have gentler and added charitable motivations behind your actions.

This sounds like the Savior. You might say this is all an amazing coincidence. According to President Monson, “There are no coincidences" (Thomas S. Monson, in To the Rescue, 60).

About my son, I learned that he is loyal, very charming and loves to stand out in the crowd. At three months old, I have already seen him work his charm. I have always felt a special spirit about my youngest and even had some special experiences with him before he was born. 

So, do the constellations have a deeper purpose and meaning?  I did some further research and found that according to an article by Jon P. Pratt in Meridian Magazine they tell the story and testify of the Savior.

Water Bearer (Christ) pours living water (blessings) onto head of Fish (Church). (compare D&C 110:10, 121:33)

But the celestial testimony of the Savior does not end there. The very position of the stars in the sky tell us that Jesus is the Christ. Though some researchers have assumed that star constellation figures evolved from primitiv e imaginations, evidence now indicates that they form a pictorial scientific "star map" that originated about 2900 B.C at about 36 north latitude.^[8]
 
That corresponds well to the Hebrew tradition that the signs of the constellations date back to Enoch.
The Book of Enoch,^[9] which was once in the Bible and was accepted by the Savior's apostles as written by Enoch himself (Jude 1:14), declares, "For the signs, the seasons, the years, and the days, Uriel showed me [Enoch]" (Enoch 74:4-7). Here as elsewhere in the scriptures, the constellations are called "signs" (Gen. 1:14; Rev. 12:1,4, JST). A detailed study of the ancient symbolism of these figures, combined with scriptural references and a knowledge of their star names, implies that the Lord meant for the constellations to graphically display the entire mission of the Savior.^[10]
 

For example, the Serpent Bearer wrestles with a serpent which is reaching for a crown, even as Christ overcame Satan, who sought for God's glory. The Serpent Bearer is also crushing the head of a scorpion, which in turn is stinging him in the foot, reminiscent of the great promise given to Adam and Eve that the Savior, who would be the seed of the woman, would bruise the serpent's head, even though the serpent would wound his heel (Gen. 3:15).

There were apparently a total of 48 original figures, 3 accompanying each of the 12 constellations in the zodiac. While some of these have been modified over time or have unclear meanings, others are unmistakable. A ram breaks the bands of death (Mosiah 15:20,23), the lion (associated with the tribe of Judah, Christ's lineage) tramples a fleeing serpent (Revelations 5:5), and a dragon at the top of the sky enfolds one third of the stars of heaven in his coils (Isaiah 14:13; Revelations 12:4, JST). Thus, the Psalm that proclaims, "the heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork" (Psalms 19:1) can be taken literally. The heavens are silently bearing witness of the glorious gospel plan, and once a Christian learns this sacred meaning of the constellations, it can forever change how he looks at the sky.
  

This was a very fascinating topic for me look into and I would love to hear any thoughts about it.  I've included a little more below. 

Here is the link to the zodiac information I used to read about the Aries sign.

http://www.astrology.com.au/astrology/12-signs-of-the-zodiac/aries.html

Out of curiosity I did a search for astrology in the Bible and found this:

One of the great astrological stories in the Bible is the story of the star of Bethlehem. It is written that the star was a sign from God signaling the birth of the Messiah into the world. The three Magi, Persian astrologer-kings, determined the time of this birth by the position of this star. In 1600, Johannes Kepler hypothesized that this star was actually a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. Confirmed by modern astrology, this symbolism ties in with the prophecies of that era concerning a Messiah amongst the Jews. The conjunctions occurred at the end of Pisces, ruled by Jupiter. Jupiter is the planet of kings. Saturn is the planet that rules the Jews, thereby giving the king of the Jews. This was a very infrequent triple conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn and it occurred in the year 7 B.C.

http://www.near-death.com/experiences/origen13.html

90 Day Challenge Update

I know I have been slacking this summer with keeping up on my postings but this 90 day program seems to take up most the time in my day.

I'm half way thought this program of physical, spiritual and emotional healing/cleansing and I feel amazing! I have lost 20 pounds since June 10th and I have so much energy - I'm also a lot happier.

Here is a video I saw today on facebook that absolutely made my day. Take a minute to watch it!

Healing Water

So sorry, it has been so long since I have posted. After getting used to the new baby, my mother-in-law came to visit from Germany and I have been super busy (4 kids will do that to you), I finally have some free time to write!

I have been on this new journey for a couple of weeks now and have been going through a mind, body, spirit transformation that has been incredible! I'm participating in a 90 day transformation program so I have been getting coached and educated on becoming healthier all around - but I'm telling you the Spirit has been my biggest guide through all of this. It's been amazing.

I won't go into all the details today, but I can truly testify that the Lord puts certain people in our path at the right time. I have been getting personal revelation to get my mind, body and spirit as strong as I can for hard times that lie ahead (during these last days).

It's sort of been like this: A friend calls up from out of state that I haven't talked to in forever. Through small talk she recommends a video about food and nutrition that I should watch on Netflix. I watch the video and it opens up a whole new area of health that I never thought much about before but now I see the importance of it. The Spirit begins to confirm to me that this video is important and I should pay attention. I then share it with my family. My sisters and my mom are positively influenced by it as well. We all start to make some positive changes. I then have a couple over for dinner whom I didn't really know at all. They are friend's of my mother-in-law who was visiting. When they came I thought they would just be visiting with her most of the time, but to my surprise they were there to take me further on my journey - (neither of us knew it at the time).

They shared a very touching experience with us and it was strangely connected to the video I had watched and a book I had read (about an entirely different subject). It was all coming together now. I was being prepared. Long story short - the Spirit has been very strong and very loud in my life ever since. I was lead to another book that brought up an interesting soul shaking question that was directly answered in sacrament meeting a few hours later. That talk was just for me and I have never felt the Spirit so strong in a sacrament meeting before. I then go have a body scan done which brings up what the Spirit had just taught me in that sacrament talk, and I am made aware of some health concerns that are connected to what I just learned and am taught how to fix them. I am blown away at what and how much the Spirit has been teaching me over the past couple of weeks and so grateful that I have been in tune. I am now working at continuing to humble myself so that I can be even more in tune to the Spirit as this chaotic world of ours continues to spin out of control.

A couple nights each month I attend a class for this 90 program I mentioned earlier that teaches me how to get my mind, body and spirit 100%. The goal is to have a perfect immune system by the end of the 90 days, which is connected to being free of emotional distress, negative baggage, being at peace in your life and new eating habits. Throughout this process I will naturally lose weight and heal any ailments. When all the body's systems are functioning properly the body can naturally heal itself as it's designed to do. That means everything from acne to arthritis. I don't have either but it was just an example :) What I love about my coach is that she ties all of this into the gospel. She teaches us how to apply the gospel and the atonement into this whole process. I never before connected wanting to be healthier to the atonement. Amazing!

My new friends (the couple that I had over for dinner that I mentioned earlier) had told me that he (the husband) had been diagnosed with a rare and lethal cancer 5 years ago. It happened right has he became a new bishop. He was told he would not live past five years and that the cancer was so bad that all they could do was cut the tumors out but he would not be able to get chemo to kill the cells. So, he needed to begin making plans to say goodbye to family and take care of things.

Instead, he decided that he wasn't going to let the doctor's words become his fate. He wasn't going to accept an impending death sentence. Through prayer, rigorous research, and travels to specialists outside of the country, he was led on a journey that changed his life and saved his life. It is now 5 years later and he has not needed any surgeries since to remove any tumors. He feels healthier than he has ever been at 60 years old.

Back to the classes I'm attending: this week we learned about the amazing research that has been done with water by Masaru Emoto a Japanese scientist. You may have heard of him. He discovered that words, music, language and writing have the power change the appearance of water. You have to watch these videos below to understand what I'm talking about (I posted them below). He takes photographs of water before and after he gives it a word, phrase or music. Good music and words create these beautiful microscopic crystals that look like snowflakes and bad words and music turn the water very ugly and changes the color to browns and blacks. It's incredible! Our bodies are made up of 70% water so think about what words and music do to our own bodies which affects our health and out spirit. Masaru Emoto also shows how water that has been blessed or prayed over, turns beautiful as well. He uses this "good" water to help heal people.

After learning this, the Spirit reminded me that this is why we pray and bless our food - not only to help it be safe for our consumption but to make it good for us. Who would have known that in addition to the nutrients we receive, the changing of the water itself in our food is key to helping the food be good for us and our spirit. Our food is made up of water - think about how blessing it can dramatically help our bodies. I realize now that it probably would be a good thing to pray over my garden, the water I drink, the snacks I eat...etc. It may sound wacky or like I'm overdoing it but I'm telling you it works! Everything improves.

Water truly has an amazing energy that is affected by us. Water is also essential to life. How many times are living waters mentioned in the scriptures? When this thought came to my mind, the Spirit directed me to the following scriptures:

John 4:10

10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

John 7:37-38

  

37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

Jeremiah 17:13

13 O Lord, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters.

Revelation 7:17 

17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

Though living water is said to be a symbol of the Savior's teachings, I believe it to be literal as well.  I have read books (the books I mentioned reading earlier) that speak of a real living water in the spirit world/heaven. I believe it to be a real thing. His water is pure and it heals.

https://www.lds.org/scriptures/gs/living-water.t1?lang=eng&letter=l

Anyways, this incredible journey has taught me even more about the gospel of Jesus Christ. Scriptures that I read my entire life now have a whole new meaning. Things are starting to click and it has been truly incredible and humbling.

The influence of good and evil are powerful and real. The power of God and Satan are real. Through the Savior and His atonement - all can be healed. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ amen.

Here are the videos about the powerful effect that words and music have over water. 

He Heals My Heart

I just want to put in a plug for my friend Janet. She just launched a very inspirational blog that she has had in the works for a while. She writes about finding God's grace in today's world and focuses on the hopeful side of her circumstances. Janet has a beautiful perspective of the Lord's hand in her life and she is truly an amazing person who has inspired me in so many ways.

Janet created her website and blog to share her experiences in her ongoing journey to create spiritual, emotional, and physical wellness. She lives in Idaho and shares local resources on her website for eating organic. 


You can visit her blog here: http://www.hehealsmyheart.com/

By the way, Janet is the one who introduced me to (several years ago) most of the books I have recommended on my sidebar about dreams, visions, the last days and near death experiences. 

My Thoughts About General Conference Announcements

I remember last October during conference being in awe about the fact that for the first time in years, no new temples were announced. Then again, this last week the same thing happened. The prophet did say that they continue to pray about the building of new temples and will announce more should that ever be what the Lord tells them. He also said that the church has grown enough that most of the  members are within 200 miles of a temple. It seemed as though that fact was supposed to be an answer that would satisfy the question, why are no new temples being announced?

It was announced that the current temples under construction would continue being built and that they would be finished in 2015. It almost appears as thought the Lord has put a pause on new temple construction beyond 2015. That's the feeling I got even though Pres. Monsen said the process would of temple announcing and building would continue. The Lord clearly has a reason for this and I can't help but wonder if it's because 2015 will be the end of normality before Christ returns. With all that is coming our way in these last days, temple building may have to be put on hold. Whether it be an economic crash, chaos, war, natural disasters or all of the above in unison that occur by the end of 2015, 2016 clearly is a year where something big awaits.

I don't know if anyone else picked up on this but it has been on my mind since last fall. There are currently about thirteen temples in which the groundbreaking dates have not been announced. There are about three temples that are said to be finished in late 2015 and I did see that the Philadelphia temple is scheduled for 2016 even though it was announced that temple completion was set for the remaining temples to be finished in 2015.I found it interesting that they spoke specifically of the year 2015 for temple construction to be complete on all temples currently under construction. What about the temples that have not yet had ground broken?

It seems as though there will be a period of delay in 2016 and then maybe after things have settled down here on Earth, the rest of the temples will be completed and possible new ones announced.

Who knows if I am right on this, but it has really been pressing my mind over the months. I would love to hear your thoughts. Here is the link to the temple list http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/construction/

Why God Gave Us More Than Just the Bible

On Saturday I went to the temple one last time before the baby comes. My husband was so worried that I may go into labor at the temple and urged me to stay home. I knew that I would be just fine especially if I was doing service for the Lord. He didn't seem to comforted by my answer but he knew there wasn't anything he could say to change my mind.

While in the initiatory waiting room, I opened up the Book of Mormon to this random scripture. It's the Lord talking about why He provided us with more scripture than just the Bible and I love what he says.

This is some very powerful scripture and it's almost as if the Lord is saying, "Come on guys - really? You think a Bible is all I gave the world? You think that I only speak to some of my children? Think about it - the planet is big and I'm God. I'm going to do what is needed to speak to ALL of my children. Here is how I have done it and it's foolish for anyone to say otherwise. Realize that all of these books of scripture testify of each other and that I am God." 

2 Nephi 29:3-14

3 And because my words shall hiss forth—many of the Gentiles shall say: A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more Bible. 

4 But thus saith the Lord God: O fools, they shall have a Bible; and it shall proceed forth from the Jews, mine ancient covenant people. And what thank they the Jews for the Bible which they receive from them? Yea, what do the Gentiles mean? Do they remember the travails, and the labors, and the pains of the Jews, and their diligence unto me, in bringing forth salvation unto the Gentiles?

5 O ye Gentiles, have ye remembered the Jews, mine ancient covenant people? Nay; but ye have cursed them, and have hated them, and have not sought to recover them. But behold, I will return all these things upon your own heads; for I the Lord have not forgotten my people.

6 Thou fool, that shall say: A Bible, we have got a Bible, and we need no more Bible. Have ye obtained a Bible save it were by the Jews?

7 Know ye not that there are more nations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the isles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the earth beneath; and I bring forth my word unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth?

8 Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also.

9 And I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and that I speak forth my words according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one word ye need not suppose that I cannot speak another; for my work is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man, neither from that time henceforth and forever.

 10 Wherefore, because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye suppose that I have not caused more to be written.

 11 For I command all men, both in the east and in the west, and in the north, and in the south, and in the islands of the sea, that they shall write the words which I speak unto them; for out of the books which shall be written I will judge the world, every man according to their works, according to that which is written.

12 For behold, I shall speak unto the Jews and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the Nephites and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the other tribes of the house of Israel, which I have led away, and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto all nations of the earth and they shall write it.

13 And it shall come to pass that the Jews shall have the words of the Nephites, and the Nephites shall have the words of the Jews; and the Nephites and the Jews shall have the words of the lost tribes of Israel; and the lost tribes of Israel shall have the words of the Nephites and the Jews.

14 And it shall come to pass that my people, which are of the house of Israel, shall be gathered home unto the lands of their possessions; and my word also shall be gathered in one. And I will show unto them that fight against my word and against my people, who are of the house of Israel, that I am God, and that I covenanted with Abraham that I would remember his seed forever.

This is prophesy that has come to pass. The natives of the American continent have the Book of Mormon and Bible (words of Nephites and words of Jews). The Book of Mormon is also in Jerusalem. What an awesome day it will be when lost tribes return and we have their books of scripture as well. All three books will testify of the same God.

God is amazing and it only makes sense that He would give His word to His children all over the world - especially during a time when there was no internet or printing press. He gave His same word to all of His children and asked their prophets to write it down into a book.

Just think about all of His other worlds and the children living in those worlds. They also have books of scripture with the same word. It really is silly to think that the Bible is the only source of God's word amongst His vast creations. His word is not limited.

The Happy Lady - Making the Most of What Life Gives Us

I released an eBook today that is FREE on Amazon until Saturday! It's a special project dear to my heart and prompted by the Spirit, about the power of a positive attitude. Full of tips, ideas and inspiration all from a gospel perspective - I hope that it helps all who read it, turn their lemons into lemonade. Please share!

http://www.amazon.com/The-Happy-Lady-Making-Gives-ebook/dp/B00IU29JSY/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1394554979&sr=8-4&keywords=lindsey+rietzsch