who have studied even the
most elementary school book on astronomy know these things. And yet
such people are asked to swallow whole this story of the "moving
star," traveling on a little ahead of the shepherds for over a year,
and at last standing right over the home of Jesus, and thus indicating
that the search was ended. Let us compare this unscientific tale, with
the traditions and legends of the Mystics, and then take your choice.

Had there been any such star in appearance, the historians of that day
would surely have recorded it, for there were learned and wise men in
the East in those days, and as astrology was a science closely
studied, it would have been noted and passed on to posterity by both
writings and tradition. But no such record or tradition is to be found
among the Eastern peoples, or the records of the astrologers. But
another record and tradition _is_ preserved, as we shall see in a
moment.

Yes, there really _was_ a "Star of Bethlehem" which led the feet of
the Magi to the home of the infant Jesus. We have the following proof
of this fact:

(1) the traditions and teachings of the Mystic Orders which
have been handed down from teacher to student for centuries;

(2) the statements and records of the Ancient Astrologers,
which may be proven by modern astronomical calculations; and

(3) the calculations made by modern astronomers, which shall
be stated a few paragraphs further on. These three sources
of information give us the same tale, as we shall see.

Before proceeding to a consideration of this three-fold evidence, let
us pause for a moment and consider the relation of the Magi to
Astrology. To understand the narrative of the Magi's Visit to Jesus,
we must remember that they were the very Masters of Astrological Lore.
Persia and the surrounding Oriental countries were the fountain-head
of Astrological Teaching. And these Magi were Masters, and Adepts, and
Hierophants, and consequently knew all that was known to the greatest
schools of Astrology of that day. Much of their Ancient Astrological
Lore has been lost to the race of to-day, but to these ancient learned
men it was as much of a science as chemistry and astronomy are to the
learned ones of our day.

The Magi had long waited for the appearance and incarnation of a Great
Master of Masters, whose appearance had been predicted centuries
before by some of the great Occult Fathers of the Mystic Orders, a