Happy Astrologer's Day!

On January 6th, we celebrate Three Kings' Day. This date commemorates the moment when the three Magi found Jesus.

The biblical narrative tells us that with the birth of the baby Jesus, the Magi from the East saw the Star of Bethlehem and were guided by it to his birthplace:

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’” (Matthew 2:1-2)

Interestingly, the magi are never called kings in the biblical text! This seems to have been a term added in the Middle Ages. But they weren't simply "magi" either, in the sense that their abilities had anything to do with magic. The term "magus" was used to describe the wise and learned men of that time, especially those who developed knowledge about celestial bodies. In the "New Translation in Today's Language" version of the text, the magi are presented as "some men who studied the stars."

Furthermore, a commentary on the Gospel of Matthew in the Jerusalem Bible states that "the magi are wise astrologers."

Thus, the three wise astrologers, Melchior, Balthazar, and Gaspar, oriented themselves and interpreted the signs of the heavens by following the Star of Bethlehem, which announced and guided them to Jesus' birthplace. For this reason, in 1979, the Bulgarian astrologer based in Uruguay, Boris Cristoff, suggested that this day be considered Astrologer's Day.

It's beautiful to have a day to celebrate this ancient knowledge. Congratulations to all my colleagues in the profession and to the masters who inspired me to get here, especially my dear master Claudia Lisboa. You are all giants in my life!

Happy Astrologer's Day!

With love,

Kim Bins