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Fixed stars, constellations and lunar mansions are the most ancient astrological heritages of humankind. Long before there were horoscopes, aspects, houses or signs (or even systems of writing!) the dedicated priest-astrologers of Sumer, Akkad, Babylon, Greece, Phoenicia, Egypt, China, India, Central America, indeed, of virtually every ancient civilization of which we have record, carefully observed and analyzed sky-patterns, and attempted to relate their observations to the experiences of humankind, under the universally-held doctrine, “as above, so below.”

Until recently it was difficult for modern astrologers to research stars; the available star lists were limited, their positions outdated, and new information hard to come by, and by the mid-19th-century astronomers had shifted their focus from the Ecliptic (i.e. Celestial Longitude, easily converted to tropical degrees) to the Equator (Right Ascension), which required complex calculations to convert to tropical degrees. Only in the last two decades of the 20th century did computers, conversion programs and extensive star catalogues make it possible for astrologers to return to basic research on the stars and to the study of their effects. At the same time, knowledge once available only to the most learned priests of the earliest civilizations has at last come into our hands, and we may now benefit from their learning.

The ecliptica is the primary resonating-board or interface for the multidimensional contents of the heavens, seen from our planet. Everything in the sky is brought to this plane which is our path around the Sun, an invisible belt of sensitivity on which all phenomena in the sky can be projected and ordered. This is the astrologers’ tool, like the measuring-rod of a carpenter.
— Sander Littel, 2003

All stars and DSO’s (deep space objects – i.e. galaxies, black holes, clusters etc) in this work have been converted from Right Ascension and Declination, projected perpendicularly onto the ecliptic and expressed in celestial longitude, that is, in degrees along the Ecliptic measured from 0 Aries, the Vernal Equinox point. Each individual’s chart placements are adjusted for precession (using epoch 2000.0) and then entered, each with its appropriate starset.

Black holes are dying stars collapsed into infinite density. One possibility is that they are collapsed neutron stars pressured into infinite curvature of space and infinite gravity; gravity so intense that nothing – not even light – can escape. X-rays from these (and other) sources reach and are absorbed by Earth’s atmosphere, so it is possible that their energies may manifest in our lives. It is now thought that most galaxies may have black holes at their cores. Most bright stars are actually multiples (doubles, trebles, etc), but I have not indicated this in the text.

The Tropical And Sidereal Zodiacs

Because of a phenomenon called “precession of the equinoxes,” over more than two thousand years the zodiac of signs, that is, of our familiar tropical degrees, has gradually shifted backward, largely moving away from the ancient sky figures that gave them their original names and identities; each sign of this tropical zodiac now largely overlays the star-figure that once preceded it. Our tropical sign of Aries now overlays most of the original sky-figure of the Pisces fishes, the sign of Taurus overlays the stars of the sky-Ram, tropical Gemini has backed onto the mighty Bull of Heaven, tropical Cancer now overlays the original Gemini Twins, most of tropical Leo covers the Cancer Crab (however, because of the uneven length of the ancient figures, the Lion’s head and forepaws are still Leo in both the tropical and sidereal, i.e. constellational, zodiac), tropical Virgo occupies the stars of the body and tail of the Lion, tropical Libra now lies in the midst of the ancient Virgin-goddess, most of tropical Scorpio overlays the Scales of Justice, tropical Sagittarius rides the back of the menacing Scorpion, tropical Capricorn has taken over the original stars of the half-human, half-equine Archer, tropical Aquarius overlays the Sea-Goat’s stars, and tropical Pisces largely overlays the figure of the original Water-Pourer.

These overlays are confusing at first, but they actually become enlightening when we search for the deeper layers of astrology’s very ancient sources. For while I believe that the tropical zodiac is the most useful for day to day interpretation of horoscopes, it is the ancient sky-pattern figures that reveal the “fated,” totemic level of our lives. Fate is a harsh word, conjuring images of helplessness, passivity, “what’s-the-use-of-trying” emotions; but the actuality is that the soul, in each lifetime, has chosen a body, sexual polarity, set of parents, locale, schooling, economic situation, and formative matrix that will best nurture the spirit and carry it forward in the direction it has chosen to explore. It was astonishing to discover, after years of research, that there is nothing casual or coincidental in the constellational sky; the constellations are in no way arbitrary, casual, or even just seasonal markers – each one is an intensely sophisticated icon, designed to express the energies of its sky-space. And it is not only the ecliptic figures that play a part in our lives, but also the outlying, non-zodiacal aggregations that seem to fly above or swim below the Sun’s eternal path; these areas were once called the “Sphaera Barbarica” and are as vital and important as the twelve familiar ecliptic-dwellers; indeed, each posture, position, length and breadth of every figure, has its reason and message.

It has been my experience that the most meaningful and exciting reactions from clients come when I describe the constellation patterns and individual fixed stars on their charts (usually at the end of a reading). There is often a profoundly personal emotional response that resonates on a “life-myth” level of being. Frequently a client’s deepest conflicts are delineated by the difference between the archetypes of the tropical signs and the original constellations: the variance, for instance, between proud, courageous tropical Leo and his underlying sensitive, cautious, vulnerable star-Crab, or the tropical sign of Cancer, home-loving, self-protective, careful, but now fully overlaying the original Gemini siblings, who were rollicking, daring, competitive adventurers! It is the task of each of us to find ways to reconcile these differences and make them work creatively in our lives. Many Cancers, for instance, become actors, writers, or filmmakers, permitting themselves the vicarious experience of danger and adventure while actually remaining quite snug and safe, while others expand Cancer’s love of home to love of homeland and become super-patriotic, risk-taking test pilots, astronauts, or Olympic athletes! There is no longer a need to debate whether the tropical or sidereal zodiac is to be preferred. They combine their energies!

It has become apparent to me that the universe is imprinted upon and within us; I strongly take issue with the idea that if a star is not able to rise at a particular location or birthplace, and therefore would never be visible at that place, then it has no influence there and should not be used in the birth chart. The great 1st-magnitude star Canopus (Alpha Argo Navis, the brightest star in the constellation of the great ship) for instance, is never visible from Shelter Island, New York (latitude 41N00), yet its degree of celestial longitude exactly culminates, with the Sun, on a client’s chart who was born there; her parents went to great trouble to arrange for her to be born on their boat, and traveling on water has been a major part of her life. Another client, born Jewish in Chicago (41N52) has Venus and Neptune (the latter co-ruler of his 9th house of religion) aligned in celestial longitude with stars of the Southern Cross (56 to 64.5 south declination, 0 – 13.5 Scorpio) in the far southern skies, and although Crux is never visible above 27º north geographic latitude, and thus not visible in the place of his birth, he became a convert to Christianity. After years of research, it has become apparent to me that all of the sky belongs to all of humanity, without strictures or curtailments relating to birth latitudes, longitudes or visual passages. The universe is not “out there” – it is within and a part of all of us, our co-creation with God; each of us resides at the focal center of our personal universe, and the entire cosmos is both within and without each of us. Each member of the human race, whatever his or her latitude of birth, is heir to, and part of, the entirety of the universe.

It has been suggested that only the brightest stars, and/or those close to the ecliptic, should be used by astrologers. I have not found this to be a useful approach; first, because even more than the stars themselves, the full constellation figures, including those of the Sphaera Barbarica, carry important messages and second, because some rather dim stars (4th-magnitude Omicron Leonis and Mu Cephei, for instance, at 9 Aries 42 and 24 Leo 15 respectively, in 2000) produce powerful effects that belie their pallid visual impacts. For the most part I have kept to the ancient sky-figures and left out the “modern” constellations created in the 17th and 18th centuries. There are a few notable exceptions: Indus, the Indian, for instance, does seem to relate to indigenous peoples. Every named star has been included.

I have described each star’s placement within its constellation figure, as far as can be ascertained (some of these placements are open to question; however, they have turned out to be extremely important, and so have been attempted); each constellation figure is described as it is seen from Earth (rather than reversed as in a “god’s-eye” view as some old sky maps show them). Left or right means the figure’s own left or right; for this approach I have the authority of the 2nd-century BCE astronomer-astrologer Hipparchus, considered the greatest ancient authority on constellation figures; this is from his only surviving work:

“All stars’ positions are fixed with reference to our point of view, as if they were turned towards us, except if one or another of them is in profile. Aratus in many examples makes this clear; in all instances where he clearly describes the right or left portion of a constellation his description agrees with this hypothesis.” — Hipparchus, Arati et Eudoxi Phaenomena, I, 4, 1-8

It is interesting that this extraordinary scientist (discoverer of precession of the equinoxes) went to the trouble of writing a 2-volume work detailing the exact postures and positions of the constellation figures, correcting errors in Eudoxos and Aratus; it demonstrates the importance he placed on their precise locations and delineations. Roman astrologer Manilius, writing almost 2 centuries later, carried forward this idea:

“You must not divert your attention from the smallest detail; nothing exists without reason or has been uselessly created.” — Manilius, Astronomica, Book II (ca 10 CE)

Far from following these ancient authorities slavishly, when I began my research I discounted their insistence upon the importance of the placements of various arms, legs, heads, hands, eyes; it seemed to me (as it seems to almost everyone) that the constellations are fairly arbitrary, a sort of ancient “connect-the-dots” game, and a not-very-well played one, at that! With only a few exceptions, the stars of constellations do not seem to limn the figures they are said to represent. My early insouciance has had its comeuppance! Hipparchus and Manilius were simply stating facts.

As for the examples given under each starset and planet, I am keenly aware of the distortions that must result from the use of only famous or notorious people – where are the homemakers, social workers, secretaries, farmers, laboratory assistants, the quiet, often unnoticed performers of our daily tasks? For the most part, they were left out, only because if, for instance, I wrote “Jane Jones, secretary,” so little could be read of her soul from that description, and the reader none the wiser about the energies of her placements. I can only hope that something can be inferred about the inner lives of the “Jane Jones” from the more prominent sharers of her stars. The descriptions of planetary influences are, of course, generalizations, and it should be noted that each planet can describe a person or persons in the reader’s life, rather than the reader him/herself; Venus, for instance, stands for loved ones, and Mercury may represent a sibling, neighbor or co-worker; Jupiter can be an uncle or avuncular person, Saturn a teacher, father or father-figure, the Moon may describe the mother or a childhood nurturer, Mars an aggressive, assertive person in the life. These are never, however, individuals completely apart from ourselves – as souls we draw them into our lives, as they draw us.

There are no wholly benefic or wholly malefic stars. Each one proffers energies that may be used for good or ill. As I entered data it became apparent to me that stars and constellations, rather than being “good” or “bad,” embody a polarity of issues, concerns and struggles that must be addressed in a lifetime, where the free will of the individual is tasked with the responsibility of choosing, manifesting and actively expressing the positive polarity. While a few may fail to even try, others might overcome great difficulties and achieve success, both spiritual and worldly. In working towards interpretations for each starset, I included as many positives as possible, but did not shrink from negatives; what I actually found in each case were polarities of concerns that were likely to come up in each life, rather than deterministic good-bad, right-wrong delineations. Each polarity really spans one issue – a person may express one side of it or the other: peacemakers and warmongers, for instance; activists for tolerance versus haters and bigots, idealists and cynics, each and all are “sensitive” to the issue at hand, and are making choices about where to stand: the issue will constantly crop up in their lives, and they are not likely to be indifferent or passive about it.

Precession corrections, especially for ancient charts, may appear to cause a chart’s position(s) to change signs; Michaelangelo, for instance, was born with the Sun at 24 Pisces 01 in 1475, but because of precession, the stars his Sun aligned with, then in tropical Pisces, are now at the beginning of tropical Aries (the closest is 26 Piscium in the tail of the West Fish, which in 2000 was at 1 Aries 43; his Sun, precession corrected to 2000.0, is at 1 Aries 20). Thus, because of precession, a person born under one tropical sign might now appear to be placed in another. Even for some born in the 20th century with a planet in a late degree, precession correction may take the planet into the next sign. The important thing to remember, in this regard, is that the original tropical signs and rulerships hold sway on each chart; precession corrections simply serve to indicate which stars the original placements were aligned with. The longitude spans given for each Starset in this report have been adjusted for the date of birth of the individual.

Because I wanted to wanted to check out all stars, not just the most famous, or brightest, or those nearest the ecliptic, I began with a long list and often added to it as I worked, ending up with about 2,300. The stars included in this study were culled from this “master list.”
About this Report

The stars represented on each horoscope mark, I believe, the points where a soul will be most intensely and constantly tested. The tests are acute, the failures (sometimes public) devastating, but while the victories are uplifting, they are usually hidden away from others. There is rarely publicity when a thief quietly decides to turn his or her life around; a person prone to anger and violence who has learned to contain his/her rage will get no medal for it; an accountant who has resisted the impulse to embezzle funds gets no pat on the back – and can’t even tell anyone about it! These are victories nonetheless; quiet victories of the soul struggling against darkness, anguish and temptation.

Cirlot’s Dictionary of Symbols has, under “star”:

“As a light shining in the darkness,
a star is a symbol of the spirit.
It stands for the forces of the spirit
struggling against the forces of darkness”

Abbreviations

WWI, WWII for World War I and II; Gen, Capt, Adm, Brig, Lt, Col, Maj instead of General, Captain, Admiral, Brigadier, Lieutenant, Colonel and Major, Pres for President, Sen. for Senator, Gov for Governor, PM for Prime Minister, Prof for professor, CEO for Chief Executive Officer, N for North or Northern, S for South or Southern, W for West or Western, E for East or Eastern.

Sources

General sources:
Hermes, Liber Hermetis. Part II. Translated by Robert Zoller. Project Hindsight: Berkeley Springs, WV, 1993. The Liber Hermetis, attributed to Hermes Trismegistus is a Latin astrological compendium that may contain translations of Hermetic material dating from 2nd century B.C.E., although much of the material is related to the Greek astrologers Vettius Valens and Rhetorius and the Latin writer Firmicus Maternus.
Manilius, Astronomica, trans G P Goold, Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1977. Virtually nothing is known of Manilius, a Roman, except what can be gleaned from his “current events” references and encomiums to the two Emperors he was working under – these place his work somewhere between 5 and 15 CE.
Ptolemy, Tetrabiblos, trans F E Robbins, Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA, 1971. Claudius Ptolemy’s Tetrabiblos or the Quadripartite Mathematical Thesis (2nd Century CE) is considered the seminal text of Western Astrology. He is supposed to have been working from the now-lost star catalogue of Hipparchus (2nd Century BCE).
Robert Brown Jr, Researches into the Origin of the Primitive Constellations of the Greeks, Phoenicians, and Babylonians, Williams & Norgate, London 1899. Brown was a philologist who translated crumbling, fragmentary Euphratean cuneiform texts stored in the British Museum. Although some of his work has been superceded by later scholars, it remains a major source.
Morse, Eric, The Living Stars, Amethyst Books, London and New York, 1988
Kunitzsch, Paul and Smart, Tim, Short Guide to Modern Star Names and their Derivations, Harrassowitz: Wiesbaden, 1986
Allen, Richard Hinckley, Star Names, their Lore and Meaning, Dover Publications, Inc, New York, 1963 (reprint of 1899 original)

Sources for longitudes and other coordinates:
Sky Catalogue 2000.0 (2 Vols), Edited by Alan Hirshfeld and Roger W Sinnott, Sky Publishing Corp, Cambridge, MA and Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1982
NGC 2000.0, Edited by Roger W Sinnott, Sky Publishing Corp, Cambridge, MA and Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1988
List of Black Hole Candidates compiled by Wm. Robert Johnston: http://www.johnstonarchive.net/relativity/bhctable.html (updated 30 January 2004); positions in Right Ascension and Declination translated into Celestial Longitude using conversion option in Mark Pottenger’s CCRS Horoscope Program: AGS Software, Orleans, MA 1988

Sources for determinant stars of Lunar Mansions (note: the spans of Hindu Lunar Mansions as currently used no longer completely jibe with their original determinant stars)
H Norman Lockyer: from NATURE, 12 28 1893, No. 1261, Vol 49
Vivian Robson: The Fixed Stars and Constellations in Astrology: Samuel Weiser Inc, NY 1969
Derek Walters: Chinese Astrology, The Aquarian Press, Wellingborough, 1987
Al-Biruni: The Book of Instruction in the Elements of the Art of Astrology (Gaznah, 1029 CE): Luzac & Co, London, 1934, trans. R Ramsay Wright
Valerie J Roebuck: The Circle of Stars, An Introduction to Indian Astrology, Element, Shaftesbury, Dorset/Rockport, MA, 1992
Your Starsets

Starset BOTEIN – 19°Ta53′ to 22°Ta34′

The Midheaven is aligned with starset Botein
The Midheaven is the degree that culminates at the moment of birth; it represents your highest values, fame, reputation, honor (or notoriety) and ability to shine in the world, as well as your soul’s life path, or dharma. In your horoscope, the Midheaven is the channel through which you receive, experience and express the energies of these stars.

Botein is Delta Arietis in the tail of Aries, the Ram, a star that is accompanied in these celestial longitudes by Rana, Delta Eridani (also called “The Frog Star”) in the upper span of Eridanus, the River, Omicron Tauri, an early star in the cut-off body of Taurus, the Bull (Taurus is pictured as only half a bull, without hindquarters) and Xi Tauri in his left fore-hoof, 65 Andromedae above the right foot of Andromeda, the Chained Woman, Gyrus or M34, an Open Cluster in Perseus, the Hero-Rescuer’s left hand holding the snaky locks of Medusa’s severed head, and Upsilon Draconis in the neck of Draco, the Dragon. In the lunar mansions of Arabia, Botein was one of the determinant stars of al-Butain, Little Belly.

What’s over the next hill? Or beyond the sky? Restless, visionary, searching, pioneering and inventive, you are an explorer and innovative risk-taker, nevertheless, with the overlay of tropical Taurus, you have a down-to-earth, practical, philosophical nature. You also have acute, inquisitive social perceptions, musical, artistic and dramatic ability, and a strong prosodic sense that gives you an intensely emotional response to rhythms of language and music, along with skill in the use of words. Ever-flowing Eridanus, the River provides you with an interest in history and the condition of humankind. Under the influence of the Bull’s stubbornness and persistence (here the last decanate of tropical Taurus still overlies stars of the original sky-Bull, making this a truly Taurean area), you can be willful, demanding and (when convinced you are right), immovable! You are determined to find answers to life’s mysteries and the enigmas of both earth and the heavens – which you seek through exploration, religion, philosophy, science, mathematics, astrology or astrophysics. You may, with your love of nature, stay with earthy pursuits, such as geology, farming and environmentalism; on the other hand you might indulge you flair for drama in playwriting, filmmaking, acting and dance. You are social, sensual and charming, and tend to be rather pleased with yourself, even smug, and if you think you have found answers you may attempt to impose your convictions on others, with a danger of becoming rigid, dictatorial, and intolerant. Ambitious, drawn to power, mundane or spiritual, you may develop a strong commitment to social responsibilities as well. As a keen cultural observer, you may be outraged by the neglect of people and the environment, and at your best, may leave behind selfish interests and work for the betterment of humankind. Some born under these stars are prejudiced and bigoted, others may suffer from intolerance, or may not receive full credit for their work. There are issues of courage versus fear or cowardice and tolerance-intolerance, freedom versus slavery, servitude or limitation, along with hard choices to be made of patience and endurance versus irritability, cruelty, rage and violence. Perseus, the Hero and Rescuer, challenges you to rise above your lower inclinations, while Andromeda teaches patience in adversity. Possible physical and/or psychological manifestations: eye problems, mental and/or emotional instability; danger from storms, air contamination, acts of fanaticism and rabid intolerance

Examples of the Midheaven here include Lech Walesa, Polish union leader and President (time of birth unconfirmed); Sen. Charles Percy of Illinois, Admiral Robert E Peary, US naval officer and arctic explorer, 1st to reach the North Pole, Rolland V Heiser, US Army Lieutenant General, later President of New College Foundation, Inc, Joshua Lederberg, geneticist; Harry B Gray, chemist, Thomas Mann, author; Charles Williams, poet, Edouard Manet (died of tertiary syphilis), Paul Gauguin, 19th-century artists, Eleanora Duse, actress; Eugene O’Neill, playwright (time of birth unconfirmed), Arthur Fiedler, conductor; Paul G Clancy, astrologer; Ann Landers, advice columnist; Evonne Goolagong, tennis champion, Dan Abramowicz, football wide receiver, George Hennard, women-hating mass-murderer-suicide (Killeen, Texas massacre)

Starset MINCHIR – 9°Le42′ to 12°Le24′

The North Node is aligned with starset Minchir
The North Node represents connections, associations and the need for courage to attempt new and untried experiences. In your horoscope, the North Node is the channel through which you receive, experience and express the energies of these stars.

Minchir (“nose”) is Sigma Hydrae in the head of Hydra, the Water-Snake, a star that is accompanied in these celestial longitudes by Al Athfar al Dhib, Omega Draconis, under the head of Draco, the Dragon that coils around the North Pole, and Giansar, Lambda Draconis in the Dragon’s tail, Rho Puppis in the Stern of Argo Navis, the Great Ship, and blazar OJ 287 in the head of Cancer, the Crab (blazars are quasars visible at gamma ray energies that carry the most luminous, violent active galactic nuclei, emitting radiation across the entire electromagnetic spectrum) – OJ 287 is thought to consist of binary, super massive black holes. In ancient China the stars of Hydra’s head (part of the Beak of their huge Great Red Bird, associated with fire and the Sun) formed the lunar mansion Lieou, The Willow, portending tears and funeral services; willows, thought to ward off poisons, were symbols of longevity, immortality and eternity, and were used at funerals as consolation to survivors. These stars also stood for trees and plants and, as the Celestial Kitchen or Larder, the preparation of festivals, banquets, and summer thunder and rain. In the lunar mansions of ancient India, stars of Hydra’s head formed Aslesa “The Clinging” or “Embracing” ruled by Sarpas, deified Serpents, symbol: a coiled snake: Aslesa was associated with clinging, creeping, poison, embracing and sexual union. Ancient Orphic and Platonic doctrine held that the stars of Cancer, the Crab formed the “Gate of Mankind” where souls entered Earth’s dimension as they took on human form at birth.

The Crab’s dwelling, on the shoreline where land meets sea, is a metaphor for the interface of earth and sky, terrestrial and celestial concerns. Spiritual and material impulses vie for the souls of those born under these stars of the Water-Snake, Dragon and Ship, combined with the power and depth of remarkable, super massive binary black holes in the Crab. Independent, pioneering, freedom-loving, contentious and competitive, you reach for power, whether earthly or spiritual, bringing to your quest an obsessive intensity and determination. This is a zone of polarization with a full spectrum of characters, from inspired leaders, intensely curious scientists and religious souls yearning for “things invisible to mortal sight” to domineering exploiters greedy for wealth, and deposed, discredited leaders. Saints and merchants, scholars and athletes, leaders and artists, persecutors and victims of persecution, all sail this Ship together, but there is often conflict and controversy on board; you may find that tolerance and good will are hard to come by. You have great theatrical instincts and conceptual ability, with a tendency to court controversy and an impulse to leave an imprint of your brief sojourn among humankind. Needy for influence, authority, dominion and freedom, you are continuously questioning why you are here, seeking out ancient knowledge, striving for worthiness before God and/or recognition from humankind, hoping others note and honor your struggles. With the overlay of tropical Leo, you are charismatic, ambitious, good at getting what you want; you may be tempted to lie and manipulate to get your own way, and gathering followers is almost too easy for you (Aslesa, “the embracing”). Prejudice and the misuse of power or position is a common failing, and under the influence of the great polar Dragon, a few born under these stars go to draconian extremes, including the use of terror. If discouraged, there is a danger that you may give up on yourself, becoming sensual and dissipated; there are issues of contamination and corruption versus hygiene and cleansing (both physical and spiritual) (Aslesa and Lieou were associated with poisons), as well as atheism versus faith; intolerance, selfishness, cruelty and avarice versus generosity and benevolence; high ethical standards, honesty to yourself and others versus expediency, profiteering and greed; but perhaps your greatest challenge is simply self-discipline versus self-indulgence. Here heaven’s great ship Argo Navis voyages away from dark shorelines into the bright cleansing light of the Sun. Possible physical and/or psychological manifestations: head and lung ailments, bee stings; eye issues – from blindness to unusually keen eyesight; high fevers, illnesses due to infection (especially smallpox), pollution or toxic contamination; addiction, incest, abuse; possible danger from fogs, storms, shipwrecks, transportation disasters, collisions, crashes, bee stings, aggressions and battles (especially over slavery and domination)

Examples of the NorthNode here include John Foster Dulles, US Secretary of State, Scott Carpenter, astronaut, Dr Aristide Agramonte, physician, bacteriologist and hygienist, Robert Assaglioli, psychotherapist, creator of his own system of guided imagery called psychosynthesis, Po Chu-I, 8th-century T’ang Dynasty poet and governor who used his elegantly simple verse to protest social evils, John Milton, 17th-century poet (became blind), Ella Wheeler Wilcox, poet, Robert Louis Stevenson, 19th-century author and poet (cheerful and outgoing despite chronic ill health, tuberculosis; died of a cerebral hemorrhage at 44), Georges Bernanos, author, R A Schwaller de Lubicz, philosopher, occultist and Egyptologist, Srinivasa Ramanujan, “the man who knew infinity,” self-taught mathematic genius and intensely devout mystic who knew and used astrology and palmistry (research fellow at Cambridge-suicide attempt-died of tuberculosis at 32), Sir Thomas Octave Murdoch Sopwith, aircraft designer and yachtsman (Argo!), Dmitri Shostakovich, Giuseppi Verdi, composers, Joni Mitchell, singer and songwriter, Albert King, blues guitarist and singer, Frederick Ashton, choreographer, John Constable, 18th-19th-century artist, Horace Pippin, African-American folk painter (severely wounded in right shoulder, WWI: painted supporting right wrist with left hand) “foremost self-taught artist in American history,” Dame Edith Evans, Barry Fitzgerald, actors, Knute Rockne, football coach

Starset SUBRA – 23°Le34′ to 26°Le31′

The Ascendant is aligned with starset Subra
The Ascendant is the degree that is rising at the moment of birth; it is a place of emergence, initiatives, and new beginnings; it can also describe the immediate environment and is the face you present to the world. In your horoscope, the Ascendant is the channel through which you receive, experience and express the energies of these stars.

Subra is Omicron Leonis in the extended forepaw of Leo, the Lion, a star that is accompanied in these celestial longitudes by Tau2 Hydrae in the neck of Hydra, the Water Snake, Omega Ursae Majoris in the bend of the right hind leg of Ursa Major, the Greater Bear, and Alpha Pyxidis, a star of the modern figure of Pyxis, the Compass, created by astronomer Nicolas Lacaille in the 18th-century and designed as a mariner’s 2-pronged drawing compass, it was originally a star of Malus, the Mast (of Argo Navis, the Great Ship). In ancient China, Tau2 Hydrae was a star of the lunar mansion Sing (or Niao), Bird, forming the neck of their ancient Great Red Bird; it governed the Summer Solstice when honors, awards and positions for virtue and merit were bestowed and the hungry assisted. Army commanders gave out new uniforms and weapons and exquisite ceremonial court costumes were inspected. It presided over clothing (plants were gathered and cloth dyed during the summer), as well as fords, highway robbery, brigands, and danger from attacks during journeys.

Adventurous and an instinctive opportunist, you seek immortality through brilliance, daring, and fanatic dedication; under the royal Lion’s paw, your soul is filled with a longing for power and glory; you demand and take what you want with an inner sense of “divine right,” and you have a “figurehead” instinct – a good sense of how to be a symbolic leader (you can easily imagine yourself on a white horse leading a crusade!) Much is made of bright Regulus, the star of the Lion’s heart that is just a bit further on, but it is actually here that the Leonine drive for glory fully expresses itself! Fascinated by history and ancient texts, you have a visionary sense of the future, an ability to see “the big picture,” and may use historical myth to launch yourself into a position of leadership. You are a Lion in both zodiacs; creative, innovative, with considerable expressive power and an inborn sense of style, you love the spotlight – many performers are born with placements here, especially comedians – you have a good sense of humor. Jupiterian and Uranian, you need to be right, dare to be different, want to be the star of every show; you have a strong sense of the god within, and don’t think laws and rules necessarily pertain to you. Proud, tough, dynamic and charismatic, you reach for leadership, knowledge, imagination, words, symbols, and expression. Money is important to you, but only as a means to an end. You may have an interest in the occult, and/or become proficient at occult disciplines. The harsher energies of these stars are arrogance, aggression, cruel satire, cynicism and excessive sensuality. High-strung, touchy and reactive, with wild animal’s instinct to guard your turf, you can be hot-tempered and murderous, especially if thwarted. Your challenges are selfishness versus benevolence and humanitarianism, honesty versus prevarication, and a dangerous tendency to believe that God is on your side in conflicts, giving you the right to dominate or destroy those you perceive as enemies. You may become involved with animals. Here the celestial Mother Bear fiercely protects here progeny, while mighty Leo’s royal paw extends an imperious, benevolent benediction. Possible physical and/or psychological manifestations: insanity, addiction, head ailments or injuries, eye problems, blindness, injuries, paralysis, murder; possible danger from storms, fires, battles, rebellions, acts of hatred and intolerance, beheading, assassination, epidemics, animal attacks

In your horoscope, the initiative, drive, energy and enthusiasm as well as elements of the physical body and its health, represented by the Ascendant, are manifested through your use of the energies of these stars

Examples of the Ascendant here include Richard I, Coeur de Leon (“Lionheart”), 12th-century King of England, crusader (died at 41 from an infected arrow wound) (time of birth approximate) Sen. Charles Percy of Illinois, John T Dunlop, economist, US Secretary of Labor and industrial relations expert (“tough, independent-minded, an uncanny sense of identifying and negotiating the possible”), John Mitchell, corrupt lawyer, politician and US Attorney General (jailed in Watergate scandal), John S Eisenhower, diplomat and author, Charles M Duke, astronaut, Ruben F Mettler, engineer and business executive, Peter A Rosenberg, systems analyst, George Backus, geophysicist and author, Tom Wicker, journalist and author, Philip Marston, 19th-century poet (cataracts at 4 years of age, gradually went blind), Paul G Clancy, astrologer, Glenn Ford, actor, Claude Debussy, composer, Cornell MacNeil, baritone, labor union officer, gourmet cook, Frida Kahlo (polio, severely injured in accident), Henri Matisse, artists, St Frances Cabrini, missionary (chronic ill health), Mark Spitz, (a loner and “enfant terrible”), 7-gold-medal Olympic swimmer, Richard Savitt, champion tennis player, “Mayfair Boy,” jewel thief, Ted Bundy, serial murderer (executed-electric chair), O J Simpson, football running back accused of murdering his wife

Starset VINDEMIATRIX – 8°Li59′ to 12°Li48′

Jupiter is aligned with starset Vindemiatrix
Jupiter, a knowledge-and-experience-seeking planet, has an influence that is expansive, enlarging, increasing, confident, cheerful, optimistic, generous, out-going, free-wheeling, freedom-loving, ethical, philosophical and humane, but can also be disdainful, careless, over-confident and irresponsible. In your horoscope, Jupiter is the channel through which you receive, experience and express the energies of these stars.

Saturn is aligned with starset Vindemiatrix
Cautious, serious, conservative Saturn has an influence that is structuring, controlling and disciplinary; it represents authority, rules, organizing and teaching, but can also repress, limit, frustrate and delay, in order, in the long run, to bring about patience, dedication and discipline; it is the “great teacher” of the planets. In your horoscope, Saturn is the channel through which you receive, experience and express the energies of these stars.

Vindemiatrix (also called Almuredin), known from ancient times as “the star of widowhood,” is Epsilon Virginis in the right wing of Virgo, the Virgin; it is accompanied in these celestial longitudes by Caphir (also called Porrima), Gamma Virginis in the Virgin’s left arm, Auva (also called Minelauva), Delta Virginis in the Virgin’s ‘girdle’ or belt, Gienah, Gamma Corvi in the wing of Corvus, the Crow (there is another Gienah in the sky, in Cygnus, the Swan; the name is derived from Al Janah, the wing), Alchiba, Alpha Corvi in the head of Corvus, the Crow, Minkar, Epsilon Corvi in the Crow’s neck, and Mu Velorum in Vela, the Sail of the great ship Argo Navis (in China, Mu Velorum was a star of K’i-Fou, a Storehouse for musical instruments, food and utensils for an annual Great Feast). Gienah, Alchiba and Minkar were determinant stars of ancient India’s lunar mansion Hasta, the Hand, associated with reaping, gathering and handcrafts, ruled by Savitr, the Impeller, giver of life who aided childbirth, now equated with Ravi (Surya), the Sun God who rules this mansion; his rays are often thought of as hands; Hasta is associated with activities of the hand and what can be held in it: quantity, mass, reaping, gathering, opening, gathering, handcrafts – and laughter, through a pun on has-, to laugh. In ancient China, the same stars were part of the lunar mansion T’ien-Tche, the Celestial Chariot or Running Board, (in the tail of their huge, very ancient Great Red Bird), associated with vehicles, high-speed travel, and by extension, wealth and wind. Vindemiatrix, Caphir and Auva were determinant stars of Arabia’s lunar mansion al-Awwa, the Barker or Howler (dogs barking behind the lion). Vindemiatrix, “The Star of Widowhood” has a connection to India, which is not surprising, as widowhood has been, since ancient times, an issue there. An ancient association with the harvesting of grapes is shared by Epsilon Virginis and Alpha Boötes (Vindemiatrix and Arcturus).

Sails, sky and wings! Our Corvus, the Crow is part of the tail of China’s Great Red Bird and, in the West, of the Virgin’s wing: combining tropical Libra’s element of air and the Virgin’s realm of discerning intellect, gifted explorers of nature and the realms of language are born under these stars. Fascinated with words, images, idiom and folklore, with a curious, inquiring mind and a willingness to experiment, you are constantly learning, trying to go beyond what you already know, and can do. Coma’s dedication is applied to the preservation of traditions and survival of ancient knowledge and artifacts. There is a strong theme here of royalty and military “figurehead” leadership. You tend to conservatism, and may attain high positions or be born into them. Nevertheless, although tremendously gifted, you may also be tremendously troubled, even becoming turbulent, bullying, domineering and manipulative. Longing for the Virgin’s purity (a possible source of Almuredin is Al Muredin, “one sent forth in the faith”), there is a danger that you may become a self-righteous “holier-than-thou” zealot, fearing God’s displeasure, persecuting those who (in your eyes) do not adhere to your ideas of morality and high standards. Searching for eternal truths, often torn between philosophical polarities, you may latch onto political, scientific or religious absolutes, or, at the other extreme, you may hide behind intellectual cynicism, demanding “proofs” of the existence of God, setting yourself up as a guardian of the (presumed) sureties of science and fact (deafness is common here, symbolizing a reluctance or refusal to listen). Although your use of words is elegant, there is a danger that you might misuse your verbal gifts, going for the jugular with sardonic sneering and sarcasm (the less sure you are of what you know, the more fiercely you will assert it!) Light, sight and clarity of mind are your true realm, and within it you flourish; but if you abandon it for lower ground, you might become like a blindfolded prisoner in a dark room, battling skepticism and existential despair. Few other skyscapes are so polarized between light and dark, clear air and suffocating darkness, with a tremendous conflict between the Virgin’s honest, upright will-to-good and Hydra’s dark lair of greed, sensuality and arrogant self-interest. Under pressure, you might be tempted to dishonesty, become implicated in scandals, and have trouble with the law, or become involved with oppressions and/or struggles against them (transits to these stars often bring about major changes in laws, mores, governments and ways of thinking, at times preceded, accompanied, or followed by “witch hunts” – explosions of fanatic, vicious intolerance, cruelty and brutality). Some with placements here are persecuted for their convictions, others believe that cruel extremes justify the protection of their beliefs: there may be atrocities, even drastic exterminations, either dealt out or suffered. Vindemiatrix has, from early times, been called “The Star of Widowhood:” many (of both sexes) with placements here will experience the loss of a partner, or there may be a separation or alienation from the opposite sex due to fate, choice, or circumstances. It is well, in this regard, to recall that the role of a virgin (i.e. an unwed woman) was in ancient times a rare gift of freedom, an opportunity to function and develop independently, free of the burdens, responsibilities and limitations of partnership and parenting. Occupations here include religion, the military, medicine (especially medical pioneering), farming, cuisine, handcrafts (Hasta!), archaeology, philology, literature, law, science, mathematics, the occult, the theatre (especially comedy-Hasta was associated with laughter), and professions having to do with light, sight and the sky such as astronomy, astrology, meteorology, aviation and space, along with high positions of leadership and responsibility. If you attain a position of power, your task is to turn war and hatred into peace and cooperation. Other issues include human rights, law, and religious freedom versus oppression, suppression, entrapment; and whether to fight or to compromise, give in; cruelty versus benevolence and justice; adventure, exploration, freedom versus rigid adherence to tradition and dogma; the destruction versus the salvage of ancient knowledge, traditions, and artifacts. Here fresh winds fill Argo’s Sail, sweeping her through dangerous straits into the clear, clean air of freedom. Possible physical and/or psychological manifestations: hearing and sight problems, blindness, head, throat and arm injuries, lung ailments, including pneumonia, emphysema or tuberculosis, spinal deformities, insanity, self-immolation or deliberate burning of others; possible danger from fires, natural disasters, air crashes and ship disasters, rebellions, religious and political persecutions, “witch hunts,” exterminations, air contamination, public health crises; meteorite falls and air and space events also occur under these stars

Examples of Jupiter here include Nichiren Daishonin, 13th-century militant Buddhist priest, prophet and saint (persecuted, exiled), Alfonso X (“The Wise”), 13th-century King of Castile, lawmaker and patron of learning, Suleyman the Magnificent, 16th-century military Sultan known as “Lawgiver” (Virgo was called “Justicia”), George Washington, 18th-century general and 1st US President, Marie Antoinette, 18th-century Queen of France (beheaded), General George B McClelland, Union commander, US Civil War, Edwin M Stanton, US Secretary of War under Lincoln, Sen. George McGovern of South Dakota, John D Rockefeller, Sr, billionaire oil tycoon, Warren De La Rue, 19th-century astronomer, physicist, inventor and pioneer of celestial photography, Dr Joseph Lister, 19th-early-20th-century “father of antiseptic surgery,” William Harvey, 16th-17th-century physician, discoverer of blood circulation, Jean Baptiste Lamarck, 18th-19th-century naturalist, Jan Swammerdam, 17th-century naturalist, biologist and microscopy pioneer (deeply religious, unstable), Willy Messerschmidt, aircraft designer (the wings of three figures are here: Virgin, Crow and Great Red Bird), Jerome Namias, meteorological researcher and pioneer of extended weather forecasting (overcame tuberculosis, stroke at 79 left him partially paralyzed, unable to write or speak although his mind remained clear), Jacquetta Hawkes, archaeologist, author and poet, Michael Ventris, architect and cryptologist who deciphered a mysterious script found at Knossos, showing it to be archaic Greek, in its oldest known form (died in auto accident at 34), Franz Bopp, 19th-century philologist, Bertholt Brecht, author and playwright, Akiro Kurosawa, filmmaker, Judith Crist, film critic, Gene Barry, Douglas Fairbanks Jr, actors, Pierre Cardin, fashion designer, Raphael of Urbino, 15th-16th-century artist, William Falconer, 18th-century sailor-poet who wrote “The Shipwreck” after surviving one (and later died in another) (Argo was associated with shipwrecks), John Gillespie Magee, Jr, pilot-poet (“High Flight”), killed in plane crash at 19, Siegfried Sassoon, anti-war poet-novelist, James Agee, James Jones, authors, Jimmie Rodgers, country singer, Roy Campanella, 1st black catcher in major league baseball, E Bombeke, fishing equipment merchant, blind (lost each eye in separate accidents), Male child, eye cancer, died at 4 years, Kray twins (male), sadistic murderers

Examples of Saturn here include Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh, 17th-18th-century mathematician and astronomer, builder of yantras, massive stone instruments for analyzing the heavens, Mongkut, 19th-century King of Siam who spent 27 years as a barefoot, itinerant, mendicant monk before ascending the throne (his brother had usurped it), an accomplished astronomer and mathematician (made famous in “Anna and the King of Siam”), Pedro I (“The Cruel”) 14th-century King of Castile, Francisco Franco, fascist dictator of Spain, Captain Alfredo Astiz, “angel of death” of Argentina’s “Dirty War” in 1970’s and 80’s, when 30,000 were killed or disappeared, a torturer and murderer, Andres Segovia, classical guitarist, Lev Ivanov, 19th-century dancer and choreographer (“Swan Lake”), Alexander Borodin, 19th-century chemist, physician, composer and philanthropist who established medical courses for women, Dmitri Mendeleyev, 19th-early 20th-century chemist and ardent pacifist who developed the periodic table of elements, “a chemist of genius, a first-class physicist, a fruitful researcher in the fields of hydrodynamics, meteorology, geology, certain branches of chemical technology (explosives, petroleum, and fuels, for example) and other disciplines adjacent to chemistry and physics, a thorough expert of chemical industry and industry in general, and an original thinker in the field of economy” (died at 73 of influenza), Dr Carlos Finlay, physician who discovered that mosquitoes carried Yellow Fever, Dr Louis Berman, pioneer endocrinologist, Sir Alexander Burnes, 19th-century explorer and envoy (assassinated), Major John Wesley Powell, 19th-century geologist, ethnologist, anthropologist, conservationist, explorer and author, the 1st to voyage the length of the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River, publisher of the 1st classification of American Indian languages (lost lower right arm at Battle of Shiloh), Rev Sabine Baring-Gould, late 19th-early 20th-century theologian, hymn-writer (the words to “Onward Christian Soldiers”), author, poet, historian, essayist, antiquarian and folklorist, Charles Lamb, 18th-19th-century essayist and critic (worked as a clerk to support himself and his insane sister who had stabbed their mother to death), Wilfred Owen, anti-war poet (killed at 35 in WWI), Beatrice Wood, potter (non-conformist, avant-garde, adventurous, a theosophist, “the Mama of Dada”- lived to be 105), Patrick Swayze, dancer-actor (several severe left knee injuries), Jackie Cooper, actor, Two Blind (anonymous), one male, one female

Starset SPICA/ARCTURUS – 23°Li05′ to 27°Li05′

Pluto is aligned with starset Spica/Arcturus
Pluto represents deep insight, revelation, profound transformation, and bringing-to-consciousness that which has been hidden, buried or forgotten; its effect is deep, intense and obsessive (some deal with Pluto’s obsessive tendencies by reaching for the opposite polarity, i.e. rejection or repudiation); In your horoscope, Pluto is the channel through which you receive, experience and express the energies of these stars.

Spica and Arcturus are two of the brightest stars of the northern hemisphere; although 30 degrees apart in declination, when projected onto the ecliptic they share the same longitude, and thus share the honors of this Starset. Spica is Alpha Virginis, a star in the “spike” of wheat held in the left hand of Virgo, the Virgin; Arcturus is Alpha Boötis between the legs of Boötes, the Herdsman; they are accompanied in these celestial longitudes by Nekkar, Beta Boötis in the head of the Herdsman, 69 Virginis below Spica, Gamma Hydrae in the part of Hydra, the Water Snake that lies beneath the Virgin and the tail of Corvus, the Crow, as well as dim stars in Carina, the Keel of Argo Navis. Spica, the sky’s 15th-brightest star, is a determinant of the ancient lunar mansions of China, India and Arabia; in China it is a star of Kio, “Horn” of the extremely ancient, huge Great Azure Dragon of Spring, representing the bursting energy of the springtime renewal of nature when plants broke through the earth, animals bred, rains and floods occurred; in India it was the single determinant star of Citra, ruled by Tvastr, the heavenly carpenter who possessed maya, the power of making and shaping the way others see the world that is a form of magic; its symbol was a bright jewel; according to Roebuck, Citra can translate as “many-colored” referring to a work of art or even the work of a magician, conveying a sense of something bright and beautiful, but also artful or even delusory (Roebuck). In Arabia, it was a determinant of al-Simak, The Unarmed One, favorable for healing. Arcturus (a red giant and the 4th-brightest star in the sky) is a determinant of China’s Kio, “Horn” (of the Great Dragon); in India it was the single determinant star of Svati, “Self-going” or “Independent,” ruled by Vayu, God of Wind, ruler of air in all its forms; Svati represents air, wind, breath, consciousness, murmuring and harvest; another name for Arcturus in India was Nishtya, Outcast.

Spica and Arcturus marked the Autumnal Equinox in the 3rd century CE, at the dawn of the Age of Pisces. More royal, in a sense, than the royal stars, they offer leadership, prominence, honors, power and extraordinary gifts. Learning, religion and philosophy are important in your life (the old books say there may be “ecclesiastical preferment”). The contrast between the Virgin’s quest for peace and the guardian-Herdsman’s “strongman” archetype is sharp here, for Quakers and shakers, masters and mystics are represented under the aegis of these stars; idealistic, passionately independent, aggressive and resourceful, some even become daredevils, challenging convention. With Boötes’ fierce protecting spirit you seek out challenges, and under the influence of the Virgin and the overlay of tropical Libra, you may prize and work for peace (the Arab lunar mansion here is called “The Unarmed One,” possibly a reference to the strong devotion of some born under these stars to peace and a higher will). Inclined to direct and dominate, you are fond of putting forward “shoulds” and “oughts” (or you may go to the other extreme and delight in breaking the rules!) Citra’s ruler Tvastr possessed maya, the power of making and shaping the way others see the world; with your literary, artistic and (especially) musical gifts, natural eloquence and penetrating ear for dialogue (many playwrights and scriptwriters are born with placements here); you can reach out and grasp inspiration from the stars themselves, for at times words and music pour forth from you as from a deep wellspring. Spica, the “spike” or stalk of wheat in the Virgin’s left hand gives the potential for great productivity, a capacity for intense focus and a prodigious output of work. Cultured, well-educated, intellectually curious with a good sense of irony, you are a bemused observer of society’s foibles, airs and graces, peculiarities and eccentricities. You rarely confine yourself to only one field of endeavor and may combine several, among them philosophy, law, economics, education (especially teaching), art, literature, theatre (especially comedy), business, political, military (especially naval) and spiritual leadership, medicine, science, engineering and invention, and (with your high level of energy), dance and sports; you also may have a great concern for animals. With your gutsy, persistent, do-or-die attitude and willingness to take on great tasks, success, prosperity and popularity are possible, but not without struggles, controversies, heavy responsibilities, and usually only after considerable difficulties. As you are well aware of the power of words and images, it is important that you take care not to misuse them, and that you consider the consequences of your actions and endeavors, for good or ill. Should you reach an influential position, you will encounter conflicts between cultures and religions and must choose whether to exacerbate or attempt to bridge them. Intensely erotic, you either overindulge or sublimate your libido. One or both of your parents might be cold, indifferent, absent, or die young; you may have few or no children (the fertility of Spica is, apparently, to be channeled primarily into the mind and spirit). The great psychic Edgar Cayce spoke of Arcturus as “the wonderful, the beautiful” giving mental and spiritual power and strength, along with inclinations to religion; you may either fully embrace a faith or struggle to free yourself from it (another name for Svati was Nishtya, “Outcast”), or, with the Herdsman’s “Pied Piper” instinct, you may try gathering followers to form a cult. Other issues and choices of your life include conformity versus rebellion, self-indulgence versus self-discipline, courage versus cowardice, temperance and tolerance versus violence and murder, and faith, hope versus cynicism and despair. An ancient association with the harvesting of grapes is shared by Epsilon Virginis and Alpha Boötes (Vindemiatrix and Arcturus). Possible physical and/or psychological manifestations: physical disabilities, infirmities, kidney ailments, inclination to addiction; violence, both committed and suffered; possible danger from fires, storms, high winds, fog, smog, dust, smoke, air pollution or contamination, epidemics, collisions, air crashes, meteorite falls, disasters caused by confusion, recklessness, carelessness and/or weather conditions; murder, extreme violence, assassination

Examples of Pluto here include Charlemagne, 8th-9th-century CE King of the Franks and 1st Holy Roman Emperor, Edward I (“Longshanks”), 13th-14th-century King of England, Catherine of Aragon, 16th-century Queen of England, 1st wife of Henry VIII, divorced by him, Prince William of England, Richard Arkwright, 18th-century inventor (spinning frame) and textile industrialist, a pioneer of the factory system of production, Jean Riesener, 18th-century cabinetmaker, Daniel Boone, 18th-19th-century frontiersman, pioneer and trailblazer, Ueda Akinari, Japanese 18th-century author and poet, known for tales of the supernatural

Starset YED PRIOR – 29°Sc35′ to 2°Sg26′

Uranus is aligned with starset Yed Prior
High-strung Uranus’ influence is unconventional, eccentric, inventive, original, self-willed, erratic, extreme, restless, rebellious, psychic and utopian; it correlates to everything new – especially new technologies, electronics, innovations and inventions. In your horoscope, Uranus is the channel through which you receive, experience and express the energies of these stars.

Yed Prior is Delta Ophiuchus in the left hand (gripping Serpens) of Ophiuchus, the Serpent-Bearer, a shamanic figure whom the Greeks associated with Apollo’s son, Aesculapius, the great physician (serpents have always been associated with healing and renewal, because they shed their skins and grow new ones); in ancient Euphratean cuneiform texts, this star was part of an asterism called Mulu-bat, “Man of Death.” Yed Prior is accompanied in these celestial longitudes by Dschubba (also called Isidis), Delta Scorpii in the forehead of Scorpius, the Scorpion. In July, 2000, Delta Scorpii became a variable star, flaring in a matter of weeks to magnitude 1.9, next dipping back almost to normal, then rebrightening, fluctuating between about magnitude 2.0 and 1.6 ever since, “a long and huge outburst that keeps gaining strength” (the lower the number, the brighter the star; the standard for 1st magnitude is 1.5) Other stars here include Kornephoros, Beta Herculis in the right arm or shoulder of Hercules, the Strong Man, and Cujam, Omega Herculis in his club or right arm, Lambda Librae in the North Scale of Libra, the Scales (originally the North Claw of a huge, extended Scorpion), and Gamma Lupi in the shoulder of Lupus, the Wolf (or Wild Beast, Victim, Hostage; in ancient texts, Lupus was not a wolf but an indeterminate, suffering “beast”). Dschubba, with three other stars in the Scorpion’s head, was a determinant star of three ancient lunar mansions: in China, they marked Fang, Room (or House, Shop), (in extreme antiquity, this was the stomach of the Great Azure Dragon) also called the Celestial Stable and Generator of Horses and the Celestial Barn, a storehouse or granary; another name was Seat of the Empress, ruling the bedrooms of the Empress and Imperial Harem; under these stars altar offerings of bows and arrows were made so that women pregnant by the Emperor might bear warrior sons. In India, the same stars formed the lunar mansion Anuradha, ‘Additional Radha’ or ‘After-Radha,’ ruled by Mitra, the Aditya of friendship; it stood for purpose and achievement as well as an ally or co-worker; its image was a staff or a row of offerings to the Gods. In Arabia, they were determinants of al-Iklil al Jabhah, the Crown of the [Scorpion’s] Forehead.

This is an area of night: the Serpent and Scorpion, both denizens of dark, hidden places, and wild beast Lupus dominate these longitudes, barely held in check by struggling shaman Ophiuchus, strongman Hercules and the law’s great Scales of Libra (which were once a greater Scorpion’s huge claws). There is a direct conflict here between the expansive, ethical, congenial tropical sign of Sagittarius and the dark Scorpion underlying it. Charming and linguistically gifted, you are a powerful, determined, extremely competitive person with the will and imagination to bring your plans into manifestation and to make things happen. Intelligent, experimental, innovative, with leadership skills, organizational ability, a good sense of humor, determination and intense persistence, you also tend to be secretive, shrewd and serious, but at the same time you are drawn to the theatrical, and enjoy showing off, demonstrating your ability. You may have trouble delegating authority, for you prefer working alone behind the scenes, knowing what others don’t, employing secret information, exercising personal authority and control. Shaman Ophiuchus gives you the power to summon up other worlds of omens, portents and prophecies; intrigued by magical illusions and visual imagery, you may become adept at fields like film, photography, art, and sleight-of-hand stage magic. With strongman Hercules providing courage, energy and physicality with a daring, all-or-nothing spirit that needs and seeks expression, this is an area of dancers, acrobats and sports champions (a Latin epithet for Hercules was saltator, “leaper”); but there is a danger that, lacking a sense of moderation, you may “go for broke,” even using underhanded methods, risking your health and/or reputation in your headlong passion to win. Areas of potential success include writing (especially for theatre and film), the military (if in command, you are likely to employ “lure-and-pounce” ambushes and surprise attacks), theatre (particularly music and dance), law and police (especially detective work), politics, espionage, religion, archaeology (you love to discover long-lost hidden treasures), research, medicine (especially surgery), astrology (i.e. discovering hidden knowledge). The left hand of Ophiuchus, a shamanic healer, makes this an area of progress and innovation in medicine, surgery and public health. There is a very dark side to this sky-scape, and your physical prowess can be used for more sinister ends; although you seem open, optimistic, and friendly, you are nonetheless a very private person, and may have “skeletons in the closet” (or an arsenal!) and you are frequently embroiled in conflict and controversy. In extreme situations, you can be avaricious, critical, argumentative, sarcastic, hypocritical, intolerant, excessively fond of power (a “control freak”). You may feel aggrieved and even paranoid, refusing to take responsibility for your life, blaming others for your problems, all the time working hard to make sure you will be victorious over your enemies. You could be obsessed with sex to an extreme extent, becoming shameless, immoral and dissipated. If you lack a conscience and strong moral compass, you can be selfish, greedy, dishonest, deceptive, conniving, treasonous and treacherous, and, in the worst scenario, with Lupus’ wild, animal energies raging underneath the surface, malevolent, brutal, evil-minded, murderous and insane (truly representative of the head and claws of a scorpion and a hand struggling with a serpent!) If you take the high road, there is tremendous power here, and a potential for learning, healing, peacemaking, technical innovations, humanitarianism and major contributions and accomplishments in your chosen field, actually bringing light to darkness. Ethics, morality and temperance are the primary challenges of these stars. Here the left hand of shaman-healer Ophiuchus grasps the Serpent (a symbol of regeneration), offering hope of renewal, healing and reconciliations. Possible physical and/or psychological manifestations: lung and breathing problems, sports injuries; possible danger from earth upheavals, mass catastrophes, contaminated air, air and surface crashes (especially collisions), disasters caused by weather conditions, accidents, violence, ambush, stalking, terrorism, murder, assassination, animal encounters and attacks, including venomous insect stings (but also, under these stars, are initiatives taken in the name of peace, progress, and a healthy environment)

Examples of Uranus here include Prince William of England, Senator Margaret Chase Smith of Maine, 18th-century Russian Field Marshal Alexander Suvarov (1st-century astrologer Manilius wrote that “the Scorpion creates natures ardent for war and active service”), Mikhail Aleksandrovich Bakunin, 19th-century Russian aristocrat-turned-anarchist revolutionary, a devout atheist and radical agitator, “the father of anarchism,” John Flamsteed, 17th-18th-century clergyman, 1st Astronomer Royal (feeble, rheumatic), Charles Messier, 18th-19th-century astronomer, Gottfried W von Leibniz, 17th-18th-century mathematician and philosopher, Sir Francis Bacon, 16th-17th-century author, essayist, courtier, “father of deductive reasoning,” Dr David Livingstone, 19th-century physician, explorer, missionary and geographer, Norman V Peale, clergyman and author, Erich Maria Remarque, author, Stephen Vincent Benet, poet and author, F Garcia Lorca, poet and playwright (assassinated by fascists, Spanish Civil War), Walter Pidgeon, actor, Ben Shahn, graphic artist (“a genius but abrasive, bullying, cheating, a self-confessed bull in a china shop – betrayals, tantrums, a tyrant, but also warm, charismatic, capable of great kindness”), Nathaniel Currier (of Currier and Ives), 19th-century lithographer, M C Escher, Jean Millet, artists, Alexander Calder (inventor of “mobiles”), Henry Moore, sculptors, George Gershwin, composer (died at 38 of a brain tumor), Marian Anderson, African-American contralto, Dr John Snow, 19th-century pioneer anesthesiologist and epidemiologist (famous for his study of the cholera-laden London water supply) (Ophiuchus!), Wilhelm Reich, psychologist, Johannes Schoerner, 15th-century astrologer, J I Rodale, health food expert

Starset RASALHAGUE – 21°Sg41′ to 24°Sg49′

The Moon is aligned with starset Rasalhague
The Moon is sensitive, emotional, nurturing, reactive and instinctual. It represents unconscious attitudes and how one deals with and expresses emotions. In your horoscope, the Moon is the channel through which you receive, experience and express the energies of these stars.

Neptune is aligned with starset Rasalhague
Neptune’s influence is imaginative and boundary-dissolving; it is the power of the mind to create its own reality, thus it can be either a source of inspiration or an area of illusion and/or escapism. In your horoscope, Neptune is the channel through which you receive, experience and express the energies of these stars.

Rasalhague (from Ras al Hawwa, the Head of the Serpent-charmer) is Alpha Ophiuchi, the star in the head of Ophiuchus, the Serpent-Bearer, a shamanic figure whom the Greeks associated with Aesculapius, the Great Physician. It is accompanied in these celestial longitudes by Kepler’s Supernova Remnant (V843 Ophiuchi, Radio Source 3C358), the remains of a great supernova that appeared in the right foot of Ophiuchus in 1604, Xi Serpentis in Serpens, the Serpent that is held by Ophiuchus (serpents have always been associated with healing and renewal, because they shed their skins and grow new ones), Grumium, Xi Draconis in the head of Draco, the Dragon, Choo, Alpha Arae, along with Beta Arae and Iota Arae in the base of Ara, the (fiery) Altar, and stars of the sting of Scorpio, the Scorpion: Shaula, Lambda Scorpii and Lesath, Upsilon Scorpii, determinant stars of ancient lunar mansions of the Euphrates Valley, China, India and Arabia: the ancient Euphratean Sar-gaz, “Director-of-Sacrifice,” China’s Wi (or Wei), “The Tail” of their great Dragon, “Celestial Master of the Firmament,” governing, among other things, successions and inheritances, India’s Mula, “The Root,” symbolized by a tied bunch of roots, conferring magical powers, protecting those physically or mentally disabled, and standing for non-violence, non-injury, and everything bound, rooted, tied-up, or captured, and Arabia’s Al Shaula, the Sting. Also in this area are X-ray burster Terzan Z, a black hole at the core of a globular cluster, just above the Scorpion’s sting, and minor stars of Hercules, the Strong Man.

The heads of the Dragon and Serpent-Bearer are filled with powerful, ageless wisdom that can be used for healing, and indeed, mending, restoring and revivifying are your greatest potentials; but as the Scorpion’s sting is here, there may be destructiveness as well. Your imagination can run out of bounds, and you have a tendency to be nervous, high-strung, intense and obsessive. Intelligent and analytical, you love to argue, tend to exaggerate, and “take no prisoners;” it is as if ordinary expression is not enough for you – you seem to feel a need to reach for an exalted (or demonic) level. Drawn to intrigues and desperate and dangerous situations, you are resourceful, experimental, and good at uncovering hidden secrets that can either bring enlightenment or prove embarrassing to others. Combined with the influence of tropical Sagittarius, you are intensely curious, travel frequently, and have a love of learning, discovery and experimentation; but these are often at war, without and within, with rigid dogmas of religion, science or politics. You can “think big” and have powers of visualization that are remarkable and ideas that are often ahead of their time, but privately your strong passions may dominate, undermining worldly success and personal relationships. Self-driven and combative, with fierce, hard-to-control emotions, you have remarkable gifts of expression, but may suffer from an inner emotional intensity that can be agonizing; indeed, rather than manifesting the healing powers of Ophiuchus, you may be the one who needs to be healed! At your best you are sociable, humane, broad-minded and philosophical, with good judgment, analytical ability and visual acuity, but beware the poisonous Serpent combined with the savage Scorpion’s sting, for they bring the danger of a distrustful, suspicious and hypocritical intolerance that can become fully malevolent. You love to give advice, telling others what to do and how to do it and the instinct to heal makes you an inveterate “fixer,” renewing, repairing, refurbishing people, relationships, schools, society, government and institutions (these stars produce excellent teachers and supervisors); however, you are also quite capable of making yourself unpopular by being abrasive, opinionated, critical and argumentative (Morse has “incisive wit…as damaging as a knife”) and your inner drive and restlessness may, if not controlled, lead to self-destruction. Business, science (especially medicine), public affairs, sports, religion, philosophy, education, writing (with a particular gift for popularizing science), philology and the study of ancient texts, astrology, mythology, photography and the occult are possible areas of success. You are willing to go head-to-head with the “powers-that-be” over social injustices, looking for reasons, searching for scapegoats. Intensely proud of your roots and/or native land, you can cater to the public, but essentially you are a very secretive, distrustful, reserved and private person, an “outsider,” though not a loner. A few born under these stars may become blatantly dishonest and immoral. Issues in your life include openness and intellectual honesty versus close-mindedness and insistence on your own convictions; tolerance versus being prejudiced, doctrinaire, destructive; humanitarianism versus selfishness and cruelty. You may become intrigued by end-of-life concerns, and the manner of human transitions from this life to the next. There is something to do here with chemicals and acids. The last decanate of tropical Sagittarius sometimes brings in situations where the marriage partner is, or becomes, an invalid. There is a need here to heal not only the body and mind, but the soul as well. Here the heads of healer-shaman Ophiuchus and the all-seeing Dragon challenge the Scorpion-of-death, while the eternal flames of Ara, the Altar carry healing prayers to heaven. Possible physical and/or psychological manifestations: head injuries, crippling, deafness, stuttering, infection-prone (toxemia); illness, accidents, surgery; perversions, mental illness and/or depravity, misogyny, addictions; possible abuse of drugs, alcohol and stimulants; possible danger from earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, explosions, fires, chemicals, acids, poisons, catastrophes, including economic catastrophes, insect or snake attacks and bites, rabid animal attacks, attacks, invasions, assassination (but also, under these stars, are attempts to make peace)

Examples of the Moon here include Sir Alexander Fleming, bacteriologist (discoverer of penicillin) (Ophiuchus!), Isambard Kingdom Brunel, 19th-century tunnel, rail and bridge builder, designer of the 1st transatlantic steamer: “the greatest engineer of his age” (workaholic, often worked alongside his men; suffered severe injuries), Franz Liszt, 19th-century pianist and composer, Vincent Van Gogh, 19th-century artist (became insane, cut off ear, suicide), Betty Furness, actress and consumer advocate, Robert Taylor, actor, Edwin Booth (brother of assassin John Wilkes Booth), 19th-century actor, Richie Valens (killed in plane crash at 17), Mahalia Jackson, singers, Carl Sagan, astronomer and author (died at 62 of bone marrow disease myelodisplasia and pneumonia), Louis de Wohl, adventurer, author and astrologer, Arthur Godfrey, radio and television personality, Sander Goldman, architect and building contractor (asthma, left leg and hip amputated due to bone marrow cancer), Justin Huish, Olympic Gold Medal archer

Examples of Neptune here include Richard I, Coeur de Leon (“Lionheart”), 12th-century King of England, crusader (died at 41 from an infected arrow wound), Catherine of Aragon, 15th-16th-century Queen of England, 1st wife of Henry VIII, who divorced her, Frederick T Frelinghuysen, 19th-century lawyer and Senator from New Jersey, Ada Byron (Lord Byron’s daughter), 19th-century Countess of Lovelace, mathematician who helped Babbage with the 1st mechanical calculator, Paul Julius Reuter (Israel Beer Josaphat), 19th-century founder of the 1st news agency (started with carrier pigeons), Carl Zeiss, 19th-century industrialist and manufacturer of optical instruments, Joseph D Hooker, 19th-early 20th-century botanist, Hermann Kopp, 19th-century chemist and historian of chemistry, Albrecht von Kolliker, 19th-century embryologist and histologist, John Leech, 19th-century caricaturist, Sir John Gilbert, 19th-century Romantic artist and illustrator, Theodor Storm, 19th-century poet and author, Anthony Trollope, Charlotte Bronte, 19th-century authors, Henry David Thoreau, 19th-century transcendentalist philosopher and author, Pierre Larousse, 19th-century grammarian, lexicographer, and encyclopedist, Elizabeth Steinberg, battered child, killed by her adoptive father.

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