The Astrolabe: A Journey Through Time and Spirit

We can think of the astrolabe as the first analog computer. One could hold it in the palm of one's hand and calculate time, direction, sky position, latitude, and more using just one measurement. An astounding contraption, is it not?

The astrolabe was first invented in ancient Greece around 200 BCE to 400 CE. In the 8th century, the instrument caught the interest of Islamic scientists. By the 10th century, Abd Al-Rhaman al-Sufi documented over 1,000 uses for this remarkable device.

This technological wonder was primarily used for astrology and astronomy. In those times, astronomy served as a tool for astrology. Influential figures—Queens, Holy women, Kings, Pharaohs, Imams, priests, and monks—all turned to astrology. They sought guidance for their divine pursuits: when to plant, when to build, when to conquer, and when to lead their people. Astrology was one of the greatest tools for those who claimed to be closest to the Divine, ruling on behalf of their version of the Gods and Goddesses.

The Astrolabe's Capabilities

While the list of the astrolabe's uses is extensive, here are some of the things we know it could do:

1. Tell local time from the Sun’s position (daytime).

2. Tell local time from a known star’s position (nighttime).

3. Determine sunrise and sunset times for a given date and latitude.

4. Find the length of daylight and the length of night for a given date.

5. Identify which zodiac sign the Sun is in on a given date.

6. Estimate the Sun’s altitude above the horizon at a given moment.

   (!!! This is incredible !!!)

7. Determine the Sun’s azimuth (its compass direction).

8. Measure the altitude of a star above the horizon (using the alidade).

9. Find which stars are currently above the horizon and which are below it.

10. Determine the time of a star’s rising and setting for your latitude.

11. Find when a given star will culminate (cross the meridian).

12. Compute local sidereal time (star time), crucial for astronomy.

13. Determine the ascendant (rising degree of the zodiac) for a given moment.

14. Find the Midheaven (MC) or meridian degree for a given time.

15. Solve basic spherical astronomy problems (angles on the celestial sphere) without arithmetic.

16. Determine the Qibla (direction to Mecca) in many latitudes using engraved lines or methods.

17. Measure the height of an object (tower, wall, tree) via angular measurement and geometry.

18. Measure the distance to an object using triangulation principles.

19. Convert between calendar systems / time units (depending on the instrument’s scales, like unequal hours or seasonal hours).

20. Perform trigonometry analog-style (many astrolabes act like a graphical trig computer through projection).

How to Use the Astrolabe

The astrolabe is disc-shaped, featuring multiple dials on the front and a different set on the back. On the back, there is a hollow vein-like dial that can be repositioned. One would look through the hole closest to the eye and aim the other end at the Sun, a star, or the top of a building or mountain. By doing so, the top of this dial points to a specific reading. Depending on what information you seek, you would interpret the result accordingly. This little device was a trigonometry engine! An atlas, a sky simulator! It projected the 3D into the 2D, allowing us to understand it... multi-dimensional... One cannot help but feel awe in the deeper magic of the rudimentary. It is a testament to human ingenuity.

Spirit vs. Science

In many parts of the world, religious institutions served as the science labs of their time. So, when and why did this change, dear reader? In the 1500s, the Scientific Revolution began its uprising. This was when the question of "How is truth proven?" became a topic of fervent debate. By the 1600s, a European intellectual movement emerged, asserting that reason must be the sole tool for understanding and reshaping society. It sounds like someone had grown weary of trusting the Earth and its cycles. Perhaps someone decided they no longer trusted God. Those in power found that if they could exert more control, they could improve the quality of life. But it begs the question: whose quality and whose lives?

By the 1800s, science and religion had nearly severed ties. This shift stemmed from changes within the Christian church, which sought modernization. The tide was shifting toward individual salvation, with origins more Pagan in nature. The Church organized villages to celebrate holy days in gratitude to the God who kept them safe, providing crops and water. Worship became a trade for the right to exist. However, it began to redirect toward personalized sin and the need for redemption. The focus shifted to moralizing, leading individuals to ponder, "What is wrong with me, and how do I become enough for God to show me His love?"

You can see a real twist happening here. Centralizing on guilt and shame—why? All of this occurred simultaneously as science began proving not that we are all connected, but rather that everything is separate. The dis-inclusion of religion and science represents the severance of our crown chakra. Sahasrara (in Sanskrit) means "Crown." This center has always been our energetic connection to God. The inalienable right of this center is "To know oneself as a seed of God."

The Reclamation of Power

I propose that the separation of spirituality and science is the severance of our personal power. We hand it over to those in influential positions because they 'must' know more than we do. In reality, what they 'know' is how to manipulate against Wholeness, fellow beings, and God. This manipulation has altered the world for thousands of years.

However, we are at the beginning of a new shift in power. The Great Convergence of 2019 to 2020 marked the conjunction of major karmic players: Saturn and Pluto, representing Karma and Death–Rebirth, coming together in Capricorn, the sign tied to patriarchal institutions and established power structures. In January, Jupiter (the great magnifier), the Sun (the illuminator), Mercury (the messenger), and the South Node (the karmic past we are urged to move away from) all joined Saturn and Pluto in Capricorn.

Meanwhile, Uranus (the great disruptor and enlightener) formed a trine with that Capricorn pile-up. This supportive alignment can feel like a lightning strike of awakening moving through the people. At the same time, Neptune (the illusionist) came into a sextile, another positive aspect. Together, this combination began unveiling the true power structure.

When Pluto finally moved into Aquarius, the energy began shifting toward giving power back to the many. It does this in a very Plutonic way: by creating total destruction of the existing systems so something new can be built. That’s why the horrors we witness now can feel like the proverbial “Risk board” being exposed, where the real strategies, alliances, and control structures suddenly become visible to everyone with eyes to see.

So, perhaps the astrolabe is more than a historical artifact. Perhaps it symbolizes a time when the heavens were not “out there,” separate from us, but were understood as an accessible language that could be read by the human hand. A tool like this did not require permission from an institution. It didn’t demand a priest, a scientist, or a ruler to translate reality on one’s behalf. All it asked for was presence, observation, and the willingness to learn—three things that are a bit hard to come by these days.

But maybe that's exactly what's beginning to return now. As the old structures splinter under the weight of their greed and superiority, hidden strategies become visible. One truth then becomes hard to ignore: the age of outsourced authority is ending. Whether through astrology, science, or spirit, the deeper petition remains the same. We must reclaim our relationship with truth directly. It is time to remember our place inside this living system and to take our power back from anything that profits from our disconnection.

The astrolabe reminds us that human beings have always had the capacity to read the universe. The shift happening now is not simply one of political or cultural indications. We tend to see it that way because of how we have been indoctrinated. However, this is a spiritual shift, an intellectual one, and it is absolutely evolutionary.

And what comes next depends on who remembers how to see. Who chooses to 'remember wholeness'?