The Mansions of the Moon

 In My Father's house are many ^[a]mansions; if [ it were ] not [ so ], ^[b]I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

John 14:2 

In the majority of English versions of the Hebrew/Greek Scriptures, the Greek transliteration monē is, literally translated, 'dwellings'. Interesting enough is the fact that the translators chose to use the term 'mansions' instead, but, even more intriguing is the fact that this transliteration, monē, is a feminine noun! In Vedic, or ancient Indian/Hindu astrology, as well as Chinese, Arabic & Greek, according to this Wikipedia article, the position of the moon on any given day was called a 'lunar station'. These stations, or positions, were also called 'houses' or 'mansions'. Here, one might recall the very first line of 'The Age of Aquarius' by 'The Fifth Dimension'; 'When the moon is in the Seventh House.............................'. It should be fairly clear fro the article above that the use of the word 'mansion' predates ( by far ) its appearance in most English versions of the Greek New Testament, though there are many ( Christians ) that would very likely argue that the opposite, that the ancient astrological term is based on the biblical usage. 'As above, so below', though, the question here is, 'Why did the original translators of the English Bible choose to use the term 'mansions', when it is such a clearly esoteric reference to ancient astrology?'

Though it is almost taboo to most fundamental Christians & defamed by many others, Astrology has proven its worth, if by nothing other than the fact that it is an ancient art. Modern Astrology, to whatever extent, has contributed to this defamation, as it, like so many other art forms, has become almost merely, in some cases, a business, for monetary gain. On the other hand, there are some who truly possess this skill & are able to divine some scarily accurate astrological portraits for their clients. One must judge carefully between the two!

One thing that we must consider, when confronted by those nay-sayers ( of Astrology ) is the well-accepted fact that the movements of the Moon in the heavens affects the tides of the oceans, here on Earth. How or why the Moon so affects the waters of the Earth is not in question here, so much as, 'if the Moon affects the tides in such a drastic way, how can it not also affect our physical bodies, which, by most accounts, are made largely of water?' In the same vein, 'if the Moon affects these biological marvels, why should we find it ridiculous that the other planets, even the stars, do as well?'

As we have noted previously, however; we are More than this biological construct! As such, as spirits having a physical experience, what is 'written in the stars' need not necessarily determine our destiny, though it does help us to understand why we, as human beings, act the way we act, like or dislike the things we do, etc., etc. Just to be clear, the movements of the Moon & Stars only affects this Biology; they have no effect whatsoever on Who we really are, the Essence of Us!

The causa principalis for the above, of course, is that we are of the same Essence as the One who hung the stars! It might be said ( correctly ) here that my Christian roots are showing, but be that as it may........................ Whether one posits that there is an Almighty Being ensconced in some mythical ( mystical? ) Heaven above or simply that All is Energy, the fact is that all creation ( ? ) is connected, to whatever extent. What affects one has an effect on the other, though they be 'worlds apart'!

Being of the same Essence, it is only natural then, that, biologically speaking, we would feel a 'pull' from these heavenly bodies, an attraction of some sort. 'As above, so below', though; it is still our choice as to how that effect manifests.We may choose to submit to what some prognosticator foretells about our supposed 'destiny' & very likely, our future will be chosen for us. Or, we may choose to understand that these effectors, though they have an influence on our physicality, have no power whatsoever over us, unless, again, we allow them that power. As we have also previously noted, though there are things outside of our control, it is our future, our choice!

How the Moon ( Planets, Stars ) affects us is ultimately up to us! Yes, 'as above , so below', they help us to understand why we feel things at certain times, but they cannot determine how we will either act or react to those things. Some might chalk our negative reactions up to our supposed 'fallen nature' or whatever ( not that reactions are necessarily negative ), but again, that is their choice. One may quite sensibly take the responsibility for their own actions, even with the understanding that this or that is 'written in the stars', or they may choose to believe that a particular ( all-powerful? ) Being has made them thus & thus, so there is really nothing they can do about it except hope against hope ( have faith? ) that someday that all-powerful Being ( or one like It ) will come & save them from their 'fallen nature'!

Hoping to end this post on a more positive note, let us strive to answer the questioned posed in the first paragraph; 'Why did the original translators of the English Bible choose to use the term 'mansions', when it is such a clearly esoteric reference to ancient astrology?' Well; it may be as simple as these 'wise men' understanding that, while this passage was a fairly obvious, though esoteric, reference to the Zodiac, as are numerous references throughout both the Hebrew & Greek Scriptures, they might easily make that point refer to a more intangible, even mythical 'Heaven', where the above-mentioned 'all-powerful Being' makes 'His' lodgings. It could also be that, 'wise men' that they were, they purposely ( esoterically ) 'hid' ( in plain sight? ) a very plain reference to the Zodiac that their ancestors had found to be proven & true. Whatever the case may be, we may take this as yet another sign that, though there may not be some pie-in-the-sky reserved for our 'Afterlife', as we were taught to believe ( as I was ), the Truth is in there, if only we would choose to accept It!

Namaste' & Blessed Be,

Sage Charles