As you can see from the star chart, Venus appears to change direction on May 15^th 2012. During that apparent change of direction, the planet doesn’t seem to move much at all for a few days, sitting still in the one position. In the vertical plane, it sits above a star named Meissa, another named Alnilam and the M42 Nebula. The question is whether these stars have any relevance or whether a planet appearing to stand still has any importance. According to godly astrological rules similar to those employed by the Magi who found Jesus by following “the star”, there is great significance in such alignments. Both astronomers and astrologers refer these alignments as conjunctions.

In the Bible, the word star refers to any celestial object except for the Sun and the Moon. There are considered to be stationary stars, wandering stars (planets) and shooting stars. A conjunction occurs when a planet passes across the sky and it comes into what is called ecliptical longitude. That simply means that if you draw a vertical line above or below the planet, any star that is very near to the line is considered to be in conjunction.

In the zodiac, there are twelve star signs, so the 360 degrees that encompass the sky are split into twelve sections of 30 degrees each. For a planet to be considered to be in conjunction with a star, the star has to be less than 2 degrees from the vertical line that is described in the previous paragraph. The importance of a conjunction is that it is believed by some that there is a mystical or symbolic exchange of energies between the planet and the star. Usually, this supposed exchange is fleeting because the planet continues on its orbit. There is nothing in the study of physics to verify that such exchanges take place, but neither can we verify empirically such things as Calvary’s exchange. Two-thirds of the Bible is written in a poetical form, incorporating symbolism, metaphor and simile. There is so much that is difficult to comprehend. Fortunately, we don’t need to understand the minutia of every verse to believe. Faith in the Author gives us the confidence to rely on His Word.

In May of 2012, Venus will actually be on its regular near-circular orbit, but because of retrograde motion, it will appear to sit still above the stars in the Orion constellation. In the case of Meissa, Alnilam and the M42 Nebula, the vertical line shown in the star chart passes directly through these objects, so they are 0^o from the ecliptical longitude. The claimed exchange of energies would last many times longer and will be much more powerful than the usual manner of passage past these celestial objects.

Meissa (meaning Shining One) is the faint star that lies at the position that would be regarded as the head of Orion. It is not important in star-lore for its brightness, but for its position, as (with a pair of other stars) it marks the head of the ancient Hunter. The star may not immediately overwhelm the eye, but it certainly does its surroundings. Meissa is a hot 35,000 Kelvin compared to the Sun at 6,000 Kelvin. It is one of the most luminous stars known. With a mass of around 25 times that of our Sun and a luminosity of 65,000 times greater, Meissa is a powerful blue-white giant. Earlier, the point was made that it was God who named the stars. Who else would know the true brightness of what is an apparently dim and insignificant celestial object?

Because it is very hot, Meissa emits enough ultraviolet light to turn all the hydrogen atoms within 100 light years of the star into ions, creating a huge surrounding ring of gas, called Sh2-264 or the Meissa Ring. Because of the gas ring, Meissa and its two companions are to a large degree veiled from our view. The three faint stars represent the head of Orion who is a symbol of Christ, so what do they represent if anything at all? The face that in reality shines so brightly is reminiscent of the transfiguration which occurred on the high mountain. It is also a permanent and overt record of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit meeting together.

The three stars in the head of Orion: Meissa, phi1 and phi 2, plus Betelgeuse and Bellatrix in the two shoulders, were known to the Arabs as Kakkab Sar, the Constellation of the King. They constituted the Euphratean lunar station Mas-tab-ba-tur-tur, "the Little Twins" and individually were important stars among the Babylonians, rising to them with the sun at the summer solstice. Perhaps those three stars representing the kingship aspect of Orion are in fact typical of the Bible descriptions of mankind’s jeopardy at seeing the face of God, and the ordinances that He has put in place to protect us, as in Exodus 33:20 (KJV) “And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.”

We see the result of Moses’ close contact with God on Mt. Sinai in Deut. 34:29-33 (Amplified Bible) “When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tables of the Testimony in his hand, he did not know that the skin of his face shone and sent forth beams by reason of his speaking with the Lord. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone, and they feared to come near him. But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and [he] talked with them. Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all the Lord had said to him in Mount Sinai. And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face.”

The majesty and the faithfulness of God are described in Psalm 89. Much of the symbolism in that psalm refers to the heavens and specifically to Orion. It is no coincidence that several verses refer to “the council of the holy ones” and to “the brightness of the countenance” as well as mention of the mountains of Tabor, and Hermon which was the mountain that is where the transfiguration took place.

Is it any surprise that the stars that are symbols of the face of God should be veiled from us because of His brightness?