By both Liaf and Morfessa
Our next constellation we want to talk about is the ominous sign of Scorpio. First of all we want to remind our readers that Abraham saw this constellation as an eagle, hence the four faces in Ezekiel chapter one of the cherubim take on an astronomical significance. They are the same faces as the four zodiac constellations quartered from each other: Scorpio, the eagle, Aquarius, the man, Taurus, the bull (or ox), and Leo, the lion. In addition, four bright stars are associated with these constellations representing the four corners of the heavens. These are Antares in Scorpio, Fomalhaut in Piscis Austrinus (associated with Aquarius), Al Debaran in Taurus, and Regulus in Leo.
Scorpio is one of the most gorgeous constellations low in the southern sky seen during the summer. It's red super-giant star Antares represents the heart of Scorpio. The claw ends with its three fairly bright stars look something like a hammer head to us, but careful observation at the other end can detect Scorpio's hooked stinger very low off of the southern horizon (best seen about 10:00 PM late July at middle latitudes).
Scorpio is the "heart" of the conflict. This constellation is trying to sting the heel of a mighty man, the constellation Ophiucus, which we will discuss next. Ophiuchus is wrestling a serpent while his foot is placed on Scorpio's heart. The Hebrew name for Scorpio is Akrab, meaning "conflict" or "war". The Coptic name is Isidis, which means "the attack of the enemy or oppression". The Arabic name is similar in meaning, Al Akrab, which means "wounding him that comes". The brightest star, Antares, (in Arabic) means "the wounding". And again, the sting is called in Hebrew Lesath, which means "the perverse". One can easily see the theme involved here. There is conflict, war, and mutual wounding going on here. This shows the conflict between the serpent and the woman's seed. This again brings to mind the verse in Genesis 3:15, And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. These are the same themes. All though the Bible we can find stories of Satan's Kingdom trying to undo God's Kingdom with severe conflict. As ol' Ophiucus struggled with the serpent, Scorpio tries to get him in the foot, but not without Ophiucus placing his foot to subdue Scorpio. Examples of this conflict are where Satan tried to destroy all of Abraham's male seed. Later on, Satan tried to destroy the throne and lineage of King David. Now you (all) can see why we get so defensive when typical run-of-the-mill evangelists try to effectively do the same when they say we teach error regarding the lost tribes and David's eternal throne. Sometimes we think they want it that way and do not want others to know about these topics either. That's the true spirit of Scorpio if we ever saw any! Later, Herod tried to destroy the baby Jesus. The ultimate wounding of the heel by Scorpio was received at the cross, only to have the Lord Jesus gloriously resurrect again! He destroyed the works of the devil right then and there.
Modern astronomy sees these as two constellations, but for the purpose of the story they are trying to tell, they cannot be separated. This constellation is somewhat higher and just above Scorpio. Ophiuchus is holding a serpent with both his hands while being stung in the foot by Scorpio. And you thought mosquito bites were annoying! This poor guy is not having a good day. However, the serpent is struggling in vain and the heart of Scorpio is being crushed by Ophiuchus' foot. Thus, this constellation tells even more of the struggle. While Scorpio is merely trying to wound the heel, Serpen's effort is to seize the crown Corona Borealis we previously discussed. The serpent's head is right next to it as if to grab it. Again, this is the classical theme of Satan's Kingdom v.s. God's Kingdom. Let's state some of the star names and their meanings, and from that you can see these same themes emerging. The brightest star in the serpent's neck, Unuk, means "encompassing". The Hebrew name is Alyah, which means "the accursed". And for the constellation Ophiuchus, that is derived from the Hebrew and Arabic which means "the serpent held". Other Hebrew names of the stars are Triophus, "treading under foot", Saiph, "bruised", Carnebus, "the wounding", and Megeros, "contending". Hence, the names of the stars in addition to the constellation names overwhelmingly support the same idea.
Hercules consists of several fairly bright stars that form a recognizable pattern for those familiar with their astronomy. It is located between Ophiuchus, Lyra (the harp, which we will discuss in the next zodiac constellation), and Corona. This puts it farther north high in the sky at middle latitudes at indeed passes directly overheads at various times. Hercules is bending on one knee and his right heel is lifted somewhat as if it was wounded. But his left foot is directly over the dragon constellation Draco (also with our next zodiac constellation). His right hand is holding a club while the left one is holding a triple-headed monster. He is also wearing slain skin of a lion. In the Zodiac of Denderah, we have a similar figure, except his name is Bau, which means "who comes". In Arabic, he is Al Giscale, "the strong one". Some of the star names in this constellation are Ras al Gethi, "the head of him who bruises", Kornephorus, "the branch, kneeling", Marsic, "the wounding", Ma'asyn, "the sin-offering", Caiam, "punishing", and in Arabic means "treading under foot". If one looks at the ancient legends, we can see again the perversion of truth that was brought about by much misunderstanding--- for many ancient authorities disagree on the nature of Hercules, and what his purpose was. However, looking at the names one can see in it the mighty strengths and works done by this character in this constellation. This represents none other than Christ resurrected to life and coming in His glory to wield His mighty power just as Hercules wields his club. In addition, the triple headed monster may be a perversion of the time (three days and three nights) foretold of Christ in the tomb before being raised to power and glory while subduing Satan.