Royal Wedding = Cupido

Not every day do we witness such an archetypally important and highly visible event. Friday (Venus day) April 29 2011, was one of those special days. With the wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton, much is being said by all -- and especially pondered and scrutinized by astrologers.

The first thing that stands out is Venus placed at the top, or MC (Midheaven), of this wedding chart! Venus symbolizes love, beauty, creativity, relationships and happiness, among other things, and placed at the MC makes her most visible. Also note that Mercury is also at the top of the chart and advancing (moving toward) the MC in the Ninth whole sign house (the house of religious and mystical matters and the king). With Mercury highly prominent and visible, matters pertaining to communication, news, public opinion, and... vows, are pronounced. The midpoint of Mercury and Venus is in fact the MC. This  VE | ME = MC  symbolizes beautiful appearances and sounds in public, thoughts and words of love, and a time (MC = the minute or moment) of beauty, grace, merriment, artistry and music. Remember the bells?

The ascending sign Leo, another symbol of royalty, is ruled by the prominent Sun in the Tenth whole sign house. This Sun, ruler of the First, however is not connected to the ruler of the Seventh (for partnership), Saturn, and this is where some of the trouble begins...

Another element of this wedding chart that makes many astrologers uneasy is a dark, waning Moon (the New Moon occurs on Monday, May 2). A waxing Moon, or Moon growing in light, is usually considered more desirable for the day of a wedding, because a marriage is something we want to see grow and the building of light is considered a fruitful thing. 

This moon is also considered by most western tropical astrologers to be VOC (void of course). This means it has finished making aspects to other planets while it remains in the sign of Pisces and before it enters the next sign of Aries. The VOC moon traditionally indicates a time when it is best not to start any new projects or sign contracts or make decisions about important matters generally. There are other factors at play in this chart, however, and what is typically considered a major no no by many astrologers may need to be reconsidered.

One of the simplest ways to contradict the notion of a VOC moon, which is thought to be unfortunate for a wedding chart and hence a marriage, is that in the Sidereal system where the signs of the zodiac are based on the fixed constellations (a system used widely by astrologers in India and all over the world today) this VOC moon just doesn't exist, and so would be totally thrown out. In considering another no no, the dark moon, we might want to think about what this would be good for; spirituality is one of the things that comes to mind, but are they a spiritual couple? What about things hidden, or there being much going on behind the scenes -- wouldn't this be especially helpful for a relationship that is so totally visible on the world's stage? It might also symbolize something really old, kind of like an old soul. Maybe it indicates a marriage coming together again -- one that has played out many times in the public before, indicative of some kind of collective karma. It's hard to say. I do think a dark or Void Moon could be good if a couple desires NOT to have a child. 

Let's examine this chart on the 90 degree dial, with the TNPs (TransNeptunianPlanets).  

The first thing that pops out is Venus and Cupido sitting antiscia to one another on the cardinal axis (aka world's stage). This is indicative of a harmonious marriage in its most simplistic, obvious expression. Venus/Cupido also represents artistic and musical associations, peaceful societies, and happiness among groups of people or in the family. 

Because Cupido rules marriage let's examine its placement further... 

The first thing we see is that Cupido sits directly across from the AS (Ascendant). Technically speaking, it is in precise sesquiquadrate from the AS at 0 deg 00 sec. A sesquiquadrate or half-square is indicative of things that happen out there, outside ourselves, or in our environment. The AS symbolizes location or surroundings and is what is on the horizon or rising at that exact moment. In terms of timing, the AS (and also the MC) is like the minute or secondhand of a clock. And if we consider it like we would in a nativity (a person's birth chart), it is the mask or persona, or the face, of this relationship as captured in this specific moment in time. 

The closest completed planetary picture, which is a perfectly aligned symmetrical arrangement of planets and angles quite often difficult to see with an unaided eye, is MC + Cupido - AS = MC. This means MC (the moment, soul, awareness) + Cupido (family, societies, associations, marriage, artistry) - AS (the place, relating to others in the surroundings) = MC (the moment, soul, awareness). And this occurs at 0 deg 0 min 01 sec. Now that is quite expressive of the time, isn't it?  

Very interesting to note, the next twenty completed planetary pictures all include Cupido -- which to me is pretty astonishing!

The second picture is with the Moon -- symbolizing the female, the public; add Cupido/AS and you get a woman proceeding to marriage. The next is with Mercury, symbolizing conversation, news, music, or vows. Then follows the Node -- symbolizing connections, sometimes karmic or fated; with Cupido/AS, a family coming together for a marriage. Next is with Venus -- the female again, the bride. Then with the Sun, and then Mars -- both symbolizing the man, the father, the bridegroom. The Sun with Cupido/AS adds community and the day, and Mars brings in the action -- connections leading to marriage. The list goes on... 

... So, per Uranian methods, utilizing some TNPs, this is a clear statement of a beautiful wedding day. Will the marriage be successful is another story. Consider the darkness of the Moon, and that by tropical standards it is Void, and that the ruler of the First and Seventh houses are not connected. These are all big factors going against the long-term success of a marriage. Nonetheless, it was a profoundly beautiful day -- and that picture was captured in the exact midpoints and planetary pictures of the day. 

midpoints 101

The midpoint between two planets can be an intense spot; especially when another planet (or planets) or other sensitive point, like an angle, is located there. This is relevant in both personal and mundane "world event" astrology. A point like this, with two or more planets situated around it, tells us a story. And in every midpoint story, like all things in a chart, there is the potential for a higher or lower expression. If the planets involved are known to be notoriously more challenging, for example a combination involving Saturn and Pluto, then it is up to us to direct that energy into an expression that we are satisfied with. Just as there really are no good or bad planets, there are not simply good or bad midpoints. Again, we could take as an example a midpoint that at first glance is typically considered to be quite pleasant say between Sun and Jupiter or Sun and Venus, symbolizing joy and enthusiasm, harmony and cooperation, and understand that it could devolve into arrogance, over-indulgence or superficiality quite easily without our attention or care. 

Let's look at a combination in the sky right now: 

See the arrow pointed to the Aries Point (the "world's stage"), there you also find Venus and Uranus. Wrapped around Venus|Uranus, at equal openings, are the Sun on one side and Neptune on the other. What we are looking at is a symmetrical arrangement of Venus and Uranus at the midpoint of the Sun and Neptune, or Sun|Neptune = Venus|Uranus = Aries. 

This combination will be in effect through the weekend and will continue to be very strong through Tuesday, April 26, 2011. 

Keywords we could use to describe Sun|Neptune are: 

Vitality or expression (Sun) is affected or altered by psychic or imaginative influences (Neptune). Heightened sensitivity, receptiveness and impressionability; or potential weakness due to Neptune's dissolving quality. People's motivations become more idealistic or there could be an unrealistic, nebulous quality to them. Visions, mysticism and dreams influence individual or collective perception; or escaping reality through daydreams becomes more rampant. It is time to cultivate a more soulful inner life -- or else be prone to greater self-deception and disappointment. 

Keywords for Venus|Uranus include: 

Eccentricity or breakthroughs (Uranus) made in artistic expression or relationships (Venus). An interesting rhythm. Nervousness around, or quick decisions made with regard to, others. The love of unusual things or people. The love of astrology, science and technology. Innovative or inconstant and disruptive expressions of talents and/or love. 

When we combine and consider these midpoints together, having an effect on the collective (via the Aries Point), we come up with a number of interesting scenarios that could play out in several different ways. It is important to note that its effect will be felt by all; however those who have personal points interacting with the planets mentioned, or in early degrees of the cardinal signs (or in antiscia on the cardinal axis), will feel it more acutely. 

In considering the keywords offered, how might we imagine the expression of Sun|Neptune = Venus|Uranus = Aries? 

"Dreaming of living in beauty, wealth, comfort, and luxury... delights in mental escape from life. Visualization and dreaming about astrology... indifference toward life or others while you inwardly escape." -Munkasey

"Reserve in love... disappointments, aberrations in love. Sudden upsets or excitements... inner or emotional crisis, mourning." -Ebertin

The time is ripe for artistic innovation and invention particularly via visualizations, in meditation, or upon waking. Pay close attention to your dreams, especially if you work in a creative field. Remain open to inspiration, but don't lose yourself entirely in fantasy. Use discernment while you collect and harness that which comes in. And know that everyone is feeling more sensitive at this time, so try to be more compassionate versus reacting quickly or disruptively to a difficult or confusing situation. 

Use the time to explore new ideas, new mediums, or concepts if you're an artist, musician or writer. Or focus the energies into visualizing the relationships you want in your life, whether new or old, it is a good time to explore new territory, break new ground, make changes...  Just don't get lost in a dream.