Astrology & Kabbalah

I'm currently reading Above the Zodiac: Astrology in Jewish Thought by Matityah Glazerson.

And as it turns out, astrology is not completely outside the realm of Jewish religious writings though it is, of course, frowned upon in many instances.

The author begins by addressing the problem of astrology in Jewish thought, noting that traditionally Jews are cautioned against reliance on the movement of the heavens and siting Talmudic and Kabbalistic sources that both support and perhaps partially refute this point of view.

The book goes on to examine the signs of the zodiac, correlating them with the Hebrew calendar which is I guess no less a match (with the true positions of the constellations) then the Gregorian - at this stage of the game.

The signs of the Zodiac are interpreted in a mostly religious sense relying on material from the Zohar, Sefer Yetzirah, and other Kabbalistic writings, the Hebrew bible and key events in the history of the Jewish people.  It is a book perhaps better suited to a student of Kabbalah than a practitioner of astrology and a good resource for anyone seeking a better understanding of the Hebrew calendar. 

Some of the correspondences are interesting.  The month of Nissan (which contains the Passover) overlaps Aries, for example, and I can see a correlation between the energy of Exodus, the beginning of the Zodiac and birth of Israel as a cohesive, if landless, nation.  I found the correlations between the elemental aspects of astrology and mysticism interesting as well.

As an aside, I find it notable that under the "new" assignment of the signs (reconciling the placement of the constellations, changed due to the precession of the earth, with signs of the Zodiac as it has appeared in the media) the new first day of Aries is April 18, 2011 also the 14th of Nissan, 5771 - Erev Pesach, the eve of Passover.