There are many theories as to what the Star of Bethlehem actually was and why the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh were the chosen gifts. One of the theories I find interesting is the one that talks about the Star not really being a star at all. It suggests rather that two planets were aligned so close together that they were seen as one. Records show it was actually a conjunction of Venus and Jupiter that was occurring.
The combination of the light from these two planets would have been brilliant. Star watchers would have known that is no ordinary event. In fact, this particular alignment comes only once every 500,000 years according to Grant Mathews, professor of theoretical astrophysics and cosmology in the Department of Physics in the University of Notre Dame’s College of Science.
It is possible too, that the 3 Wiseman were not actually Kings themselves but rather they were Astrologers. We need to remember at that time Astrology was part of Astronomy. These wiseman were scientist. The Bible tells us further that these men came from the east from a different country and religion. Nobody knew of them before this event.
These men knew the movements of the stars and planets very well. They knew this was no ordinary alignment between Jupiter, Venus, the Sun and the Moon all within the house of Aries. Astrologers view this line up to signify the coming of a life of paramount importance.
The three gifts represented Gold as to a King, incense as to a God, and Myrrh to one who is immortal.
Gold: Aurun, Au, derived from the Latin word “aurora” or dawn (beginning of life). Chinese Trigram Qian, a leader, father, CEO, authority, kingship, and wealth.
Frankincense: Boswellia caterri (aka Olibanum). Discovered in China and used as a common fragrance in perfumes. It has been used for religious rituals and to anoint the sons of newborn kings and to elevate spiritual consciousness.
Myrrh: Commiphora Myrrha. This resin has been used for protection against infectious diseases. It was also used to treat umbilical cords of newborns to protect navel infections. It was also popular as an anointing embalming oil for the deceased. Symbolically it meant to cut off generational curses inherited from ancestors.