＇2＇　Compare　the　Aztec　ceremonial　of　lighting　a　holy　fire　and　communicating　it　to　the　multitude　from　the　wounded　breast　of　a　human　victim；　celebrated　every　52　years　at　the　end　of　one　cycle　and　the　beginning　of　anotherthe　constellation　of　the　Pleiades　being　in　the　Zenith　（Prescott's　Conquest　of　Mexico；　Bk。　I；　ch。　4）。
  Think　for　a　moment　of　a　time　far　back　when　there　were　absolutely　NO　Almanacs　or　Calendars；　either　nicely　printed　or　otherwise；　when　all　that　timid　mortals　could　see　was　that　their　great　source　of　Light　and　Warmth　was　daily　failing；　daily　sinking　lower　in　the　sky。　As　everyone　now　knows　there　are　about　three　weeks　at　the　fag　end　of　the　year　when　the　days　are　at　their　shortest　and　there　is　very　little　change。　What　was　happening？　Evidently　the　god　had　fallen　upon　evil　times。　Typhon；　the　prince　of　darkness；　had　betrayed　him；　Delilah；　the　queen　of　Night；　had　shorn　his　hair；　the　dreadful　Boar　had　wounded　him；　Hercules　was　struggling　with　Death　itself；　he　had　fallen　under　the　influence　of　those　malign　constellationsthe　Serpent　and　the　Scorpion。　Would　the　god　grow　weaker　and　weaker；　and　finally　succumb；　or　would　he　conquer　after　all？　We　can　imagine　the　anxiety　with　which　those　early　men　and　women　watched　for　the　first　indication　of　a　lengthening　day；　and　the　universal　joy　when　the　Priest　（the　representative　of　primitive　science）　having　made　some　simple　observations；　announced　from　the　Temple　steps　that　the　day　WAS　lengtheningthat　the　Sun　was　really　born　again　to　a　new　and　glorious　career。＇1＇
  ＇1＇　It　was　such　things　as　these　which　doubtless　gave　the　Priesthood　its　power。
  Let　us　look　at　the　elementary　science　of　those　days　a　little　closer。　How　without　Almanacs　or　Calendars　could　the　day；　or　probable　day；　of　the　Sun's　rebirth　be　fixed？　Go　out　next　Christmas　Evening；　and　at　midnight　you　will　see　the　brightest　of　the　fixed　stars；　Sirius；　blazing　in　the　southern　skynot　however　due　south　from　you；　but　somewhat　to　the　left　of　the　Meridian　line。　Some　three　thousand　years　ago　（owing　to　the　Precession　of　the　Equinoxes）　that　star　at　the　winter　solstice　did　not　stand　at　midnight　where　you　now　see　it；　but　almost　exactly　ON　the　meridian　line。　The　coming　of　Sirius　therefore　to　the　meridian　at　midnight　became　the　sign　and　assurance　of　the　Sun　having　reached　the　very　lowest　point　of　his　course；　and　therefore　of　having　arrived　at　the　moment　of　his　re…birth。　Where　then　was　the　Sun　at　that　moment？　Obviously　in　the　underworld　beneath　our　feet。　Whatever　views　the　ancients　may　have　had　about　the　shape　of　the　earth；　it　was　evident　to　the　mass　of　people　that　the　Sungod；　after　illuminating　the　world　during　the　day；　plunged　down　in　the　West；　and　remained　there　during　the　hours　of　darkness　in　some　cavern　under　the　earth。　Here　he　rested　and　after　bathing　in　the　great　ocean　renewed　his　garments　before　reappearing　in　the　East　next　morning。
  But　in　this　long　night　of　his　greatest　winter　weakness；　when　all　the　world　was　hoping　and　praying　for　the　renewal　of　his　strength；　it　is　evident　that　the　new　birth　would　come　if　it　came　at　allat　midnight。　This　then　was　the　sacred　hour　when　in　the　underworld　（the　Stable　or　the　Cave　or　whatever　it　might　be　called）　the　child　was　born　who　was　destined　to　be　the　Savior　of　men。　At　that　moment　Sirius　stood　on　the　southern　meridian　（and　in　more　southern　lands　than　ours　this　would　be　more　nearly　overhead）；　and　that　starthere　is　little　doubtis　the　Star　in　the　East　mentioned　in　the　Gospels。
  To　the　right；　as　the　supposed　observer　looks　at　Sirius　on　the　midnight　of　Christmas　Eve；　stands　the　magnificent　Orion；　the　mighty　hunter。　There　are　three　stars　in　his　belt　which；　as　is　well　known；　lie　in　a　straight　line　pointing　to　Sirius。　They　are　not　so　bright　as　Sirius；　but　they　are　sufficiently　bright　to　attract　attention。　A　long　tradition　gives　them　the　name　of　the　Three　Kings。　Dupuis＇1＇　says：　〃Orion　a　trois　belles　etoiles　vers　le　milieu；　qui　sont　de　seconde　grandeur　et　posees　en　ligne　droite；　l'une　pres　de　l'autre；　le　peuple　les　appelle　les　trois　rois。　On　donne　aux　trois　rois　Magis　les　noms　de　Magalat；　Galgalat；　Saraim；　et　Athos；　Satos；　Paratoras。　Les　Catholiques　les　appellent　Gaspard；　Melchior；　et　Balthasar。〃　The　last…mentioned　group　of　names　comes　in　the　Catholic　Calendar　in　connection　with　the　feast　of　the　Epiphany　（6th　January）；　and　the　name　〃Trois　Rois〃　is　commonly　to…day　given　to　these　stars　by　the　French　and　Swiss　peasants。
  ＇1＇　Charles　F。　Dupuis　（Origine　de　Tous　les　Cultes；　Paris；　1822）　was　one　of　the　earliest　modern　writers　on　these　subjects。
  Immediately　after　Midnight　then；　on　the　25th　December；　the　Beloved　Son　（or　Sun…god）　is　born。　If　we　go　back　in　thought　to　the　period；　some　three　thousand　years　ago；　when　at　that　moment　of　the　heavenly　birth　Sirius；　coming　from　the　East；　did　actually　stand　on　the　Meridian；　we　shall　come　into　touch　with　another　curious　astronomical　coincidence。　For　at　the　same　moment　we　shall　see　the　Zodiacal　constellation　of　the　Virgin　in　the　act　of　rising；　and　becoming　visible　in　the　East　divided　through　the　middle　by　the　line　of　the　horizon。
  The　constellation　Virgo　is　a　Y…shaped　group；　of　which　；　the　star　at　the　foot；　is　the　well…known　Spica；　a　star　of　the　first　magnitude。　The　other　principal　stars；　　at　the　centre；　and　　and　　at　the　extremities；　are　of　the　second　magnitude。　The　whole　resembles　more　a　cup　than　the　human　figure；　but　when　we　remember　the　symbolic　meaning　of　the　cup；　that　seems　to　be　an　obvious　explanation　of　the　name　Virgo；　which　the　constellation　has　borne　since　the　earliest　times。　＇The　three　stars　；　　and　；　lie　very　nearly　on　the　Ecliptic；　that　is；　the　Sun's　patha　fact　to　which　we　shall　return　presently。＇
  At　the　moment　then　when　Sirius；　the　star　from　the　East；　by　coming　to　the　Meridian　at　midnight　signalled　the　Sun's　new　birth；　the　Virgin　was　seen　just　rising　on　the　Eastern　skythe　horizon　line　passing　through　her　centre。　And　many　people　think　that　this　astronomical　fact　is　the　explanation　of　the　very　widespread　legend　of　the　Virgin…birth。　I　do　not　think　that　it　is　the　sole　explanationfor　indeed　in　all　or　nearly　all　these　cases　the　acceptance　of　a　myth　seems　to　depend　not　upon　a　single　argument　but　upon　the　convergence　of　a　number　of　meanings　and　reasons　in　the　same　symbol。　But　certainly　the　fact　mentioned　above　is　curious；　and　its　importance　is　accentuated　by　the　following　considerations。
  In　the　Temple　of　Denderah　in　Egypt；　and　on　the　inside　of　the　dome；　there　is　or　WAS　an　elaborate　circular　representation　of　the　Northern　hemisphere　of　the　sky　and　the　Zodiac。＇1＇　Here　Virgo　the　constellation　is　represented；　as　in　our　star…maps；　by　a　woman　with　a　spike　of　corn　in　her　hand　（Spica）。　But　on　the　margin　close　by　there　is　an　annotating　and　explicatory　figurea　figure　of　Isis　with　the　infant　Horus　in　her　arms；　and　quite　resembling　in　style　the　Christian　Madonna　and　Child；　except　that　she　is　sitting　and　the　child　is　on　her　knee。　This　seems　to　show　thatwhatever　other　nations　may　have　done　in　associating　Virgo　with　Demeter；　Ceres；　Diana＇2＇　etc。the　Egyptians　made　no　doubt　of　the　constellation's　connection　with　Isis　and　Horus。　But　it　is　well　known　as　a　matter　of　history　that　the　worship　of　Isis　and　Horus　descended　in　the　early　Christian　centuries　to　Alexandria；　where　it　took　the　form　of　the　worship　of　the　Virgin　Mary　and　the　infant　Savior；　and　so　passed　into　the　European　ceremonial。　We　have　therefore　the　Virgin　Mary　connected　by　linear　succession　and　descent　with　that　remote　Zodiacal　cluster　in　the　sky！　Also　it　may　be　mentioned　that　on　the　Arabian　and　Persian　globes　of　Abenezra　and　Abuazar　a　Virgin　and　Child　are　figured　in　connection　with　the　same　constellation。＇3＇
  ＇1＇　Carefully　described　and　mapped　by　Dupuis；　see　op。　cit。
  ＇2＇　For　the　harvest…festival　of　Diana；　the　Virgin；　and　her　parallelism　with　the　Virgin　Mary；　see　The　Golden　Bough；　vol。　i；　14　and　ii；　121。
  ＇3＇　See　F。　Nork；　Der　Mystagog　（Leipzig；　1838）。
  A　curious　confirmation　of　the　same　astronomical　connection　is　afforded　by　the　Roman　Catholic　Calendar。　For　if　this　be　consulted　it　will　be　found　that　the　festival　of　the　Assumption　of　the　Virgin　is　placed　on　the　15th　August；　while　the　festival　of　the　Birth　of　the　Virgin　is　dated　the　8th　September。　I　have　already　pointed　out　that　the　stars；　；　　and　　of　Virgo　are　almost　exactly　on　the　Ecliptic；　or　Sun's　path　through　the　sky；　and　a　brief　reference　to　the　Zodiacal　signs　and　the　star…maps　will　show　that　the　Sun　each　year　enters　the　sign　of　Virgo　about　the　first…mentioned　date；　and　leaves　it　about　the　second　date。　At　the　present　day　the　Zodiacal　signs　（owing　to　precession）　have　shifted　some　distance　from　the　constellations　of　the　same　name。　But　at　the　time　when　the　Zodiac　was　constituted　and　these　names　were　given；　the　first　date　obviously　would　signalize　the　actual　disappearance　of　the　cluster　Virgo　in　the　Sun's　raysi。　e。　the　Assumption　of　the　Virgin　into　the　glory　of　the　Godwhile　the　second　date　would　signalize　the　reappearance　of　the　constellation　or　the　Birth　of　the　Virgin。　The　Church　of　Notre　Dame　at　Paris　is　supposed　to　be　on　the　original　site　of　a　Temple　of　Isis；　and　it　is　said　（but　I　have　not　been　able　to　verify　this　myself）　that　one　of　the　side　entrancesthat；　namely；　on　the　left　in　entering　from　the　North　（cloi