Da Vinci’s Astrological Zodiac Secret in his ‘Last Supper’ Masterpiece

By Milky Way Maid

Probably everyone has seen or heard something about da Vinci’s painting of the Last Supper supposedly providing proof that Mary Magdalene was his wife. While I am not going to get into that discussion right now, I would like to point out an unexpected proof that that the fifth Apostle from the left really is Mary Magdalene, and it involves astrology.

First go to this web page and copy the image of the painting that appears there: www.LisaShea.com/hobbies/art/images/lastsuppernames.jpg  Keep it handy for reference.

That image is of the Last Supper with the names of the Apostles above each one, plus Jesus.

Now, you may not know that you can read the Zodiac in the painting from left to right, skipping over Jesus; start with Bartholomew (Aries)  on the left and end with Simon Pisces) on the right. 

It is interesting that some of the saints are associated with, or are in some kind of pose, that in some way evokes that sign of the zodiac.

The third Apostle from the left is Andrew, representing Gemini. He is in a pose with his hands up, palms forward. Gemini rules the hands.

The fourth Apostle is Judas (going by where the head is, not the body), who represents Cancer. He holds a bag of silver, and Cancer is associated with acquisitiveness and saving money.

Fifth is Peter, as Leo. Leo is often a boss in the office setting, like Peter was boss of the Apostles after Jesus departed.

Now here’s the surprise – Sixth is Virgo, which happens to be the only female in the zodiac. So the Apostle, supposedly John the Beloved, is really Mary Magdalene after all.

Seventh is James Major, representing Libra, the Scales. His arms are outstretched to either side like the arms on a balance.

Eighth is Thomas, whose finger is pointing up like the stinger on the Scorpion.

Tenth is Matthew, whose former occupation was as a tax collector. Matthew is the patron saint of civil servants, among other things, and Capricorn is the sign of government.

Last is Simon the Zealot, representing Pisces. Simon is sometimes identified with two fish. Also one tradition about him says he was martyred by being sawn in half lengthwise.

This article is just the result of a quick bit of research after finding a reference to the apostles representing the signs of the zodiac, and that da Vinci incorporated that information into his famous painting. Sorry I did not find specific links between all of the apostles to every sign. But perhaps at the time it was painted, there were associations between the signs and certain careers or attributes that have fallen by the wayside. For example, the second Apostle was James Minor, who had been a fuller before joining up with Jesus. (A fuller is someone who softens and sometimes dyes cloth.) Perhaps Taurus was once thought to rule clothing or haberdashers.

Some of the oldest Christian churches had representations of the zodiac with the apostles going around a central image of Jesus, with Jesus sometimes represented as Sol Invictus (the Sun). Very rarely, Jesus as the Sun was accompanied by Mary Magdalene as the Moon. For the former, see images of the Beit Alpha church (mistakenly called a synagogue) and the church at Hamat Tiberius in Galilee.  For the latter, check out images of the central panel in the church of “Our Lady Mary” in Galilee, Israel.

Tags- Mary Magdalene, early Christian churches, zodiac, apostles

The Zodiac Signs and the Twelve Tribes of Israel; also the Babylonian Zodiac

by Milky Way Maid
If you doubted that the ancient Jewish people were ever astrologers, then this will give you something to think about. The twelve signs of the zodiac can be correlated with the twelve tribes of Israel. Check out the following list as derived from lines in the Book of Genesis, Chapter 49.

Aries- Gad, 'a troop shall press upon him; but he shall press upon their heel,' is Aries the Ram. Aries, being the first sign of the zodiac, 'presses upon their heel' in the circular zodiac. Gad is described as “a warrior, chief of his army,” very apt for the sign ruled by warlike Mars.
Taurus- Issachar, 'a gelded donkey lying down in the cattle pens'. Personally, I am not sure how a donkey equates to a bull. But both are beasts of burden.
Gemini- Simeon and Levi, 'the brethren,' are Gemini, the Twins. (Note: Others place them in Pisces, as the two fishes.)
Cancer- Benjamin, 'ravening as a wolf, devouring his prey by morning, dividing the spoil at night,' is Cancer the Crab. Cancer may viewed here as either food-oriented, acquisitive, or both.
Leo- Judah, 'the lion's whelp,' is obviously Leo the Lion.
Virgo- Virgo is 'veiled,' and is correlated with Dinah, Jacob's daughter, who is described in Genesis 30:21.
Libra- Asher, 'the weigher of bread,' is Libra, the Scales or Balance.
Scorpio- Dan, 'a serpent in the way,' is Scorpio, who is variously pictured as a Scorpion, Snake, and Eagle. Llewellyn quotes Pike in regards to this sign: “Dan, bearing as his device a Scorpion, he compares to the Cerastes or horned Serpent, synonymous in astrological language with the vulture or pouncing eagle; and which bird was often substituted on the flag of Dan, in place of the venomous scorpion, on account of the terror which that reptile inspired, as the symbol of Typhon and his malign influences; wherefore the Eagle, as its paranatellon, that is, rising and setting at the same time with it, was naturally used in its stead.”
Sagittarius- Joseph, 'whose bow abides in strength,' is of course the sign of the archer Sagittarius.
Capricorn- Nephtali, 'a hind let loose,' is Capricorn the Goat.
Aquarius- Reuben, 'boiling over with water,' is Aquarius, who holds a vase or cup and pours out the waters of the New Age.
Pisces- Zebulon, 'who shall dwell at the beach of the sea,' is Pisces, the two Fishes. How many beachfront parks are named Zebulon? Oodles, that's how many.

The Llewellyn website, among others, has an article on the subject at http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/472 Llewellyn lists various correlations, some of which are based in descriptions in Deuteronomy rather than Genesis. But I rather prefer the list I have copied out and given to you readers above. For one thing, it logically gives two names for the Twins.

While I am at it I may as well tell you that the Babylonians had a list of 18 zodiac signs. Most of the 12 Greek constellations that make up the Zodiac that we know today, can be found in a “Babylonian star-list from the 7th century, known as the MUL.APIN, but which is thought by scholars to have been compiled around 1000 BCE. The list consists of 17 or 18 ecliptic constellations through which the Moon was seen to pass.” The Zodiacal constellations found in Greek astrology are among them, although six have different names. In The Origins of the Zodiac, Rupert Gleadow lists them as follows:

Zappu, meaning tuft of hair = Pleiades
Gud-an-na, meaning bull of heaven = Hyades
Sib-zi-an-na, meaning faithful shepherd of heaven = Orion
Sugi, meaning charioteer = Perseus
Gamlu, meaning scimitar = Auriga
Mas-tab-ba-gal-gal, meaning great twins = Gemini
Al-lul, meaning crab(?) = Praesepe
Ur-gu-la, meaning lion or lioness = Leo
Ab-sin, meaning furrow = Virgo
Zibanitu, meaning horn or scales = Libra
Gir-tab, meaning scorpion = Scorpio
Pa-bil-sag, meaning unknown = Sagittarius
Suhur-mas, meaning goat-fish = Capricorn
Gu-la, meaning giant(?) = Aquarius
Zibbati, meaning tails = Pisces
Sim-mah, meaning great swallow = southern fish
Anunitum, meaning a goddess = northern fish
Hunga or agru, meaning hireling = Aries

I might note that dividing the solar year by 18 signs gives roughly twenty days per sign. Gee, where have I seen a period of twenty days before? In the Mayan calendar system, which used a system of 20 days overlaid by another system of 13 in order to reconcile the solar and lunar years. Very interesting.