The Royal Stars of Persia (Part Two): Regulus

 Regulus

Known to the ancients as Venant, Regulus is a seriously interesting star - in metaphysical terms, I mean. (I have no idea how astronomers feel about it, frankly.)

My thoughts on same start with Regulus' role as a 'watcher' star, it represents the north. In metaphysics, 'north' is not just a direction - it's also a reference to intellectual capacity, or the ability to think, reason and choose.

So that's where I start. And yes, I've been accused of being a bit of a thinker myself.

(Guilty as charged.)

Then we add in a bit about Regulus which comes from the Historical Researching Department (the HRD?) which basically is about ancient Egypt.

You know...the folks who brought us all those nifty middle-eastern pyramids? 
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 Two of the three 'great' pyramids at Giza

(photo credit: Boots Hart, 1997)

So here's the thing...if you roll sky charts back to the era of earliest estimations Giza Sphinx et al...(which yes, is a debate in and of itself)...the implacable gaze of said Sphinx would have been fixed on the eastern horizon.

And what would it see at mid-summer? That Sphinx would have seen Regulus rising with the dawn.

But let's not be hasty here. After all, when we put the term 'mid-summer' and ancient Egypt together, we have to stop to consider. Consider what?

Answer: the calendar. The ancient Egyptian calendar wasn't a 'January-to-December’ like the one we use. It wasn't even the Aries-to-Pisces zodiacal round (calendar) you're probably familiar with.

No, the Egyptian calendar of WBW (way back when) started at a date we of modern ilk (and western inclination) know as July 20th. Said calendar was timed to the rising of Sirius, a much-beloved star we commonly call the ‘Dog Star.’

 Canis Major (left) and Orion (right) as ancient Egyptian

constellations. Notice with Orion how the line of three stars

which today are considered Orion's belt were considered 

the line of a 'brow band' of sorts to the Egyptians.

This is the same section of sky as above, with Canis Major

(including Sirius, the Dog Star)  at the lower left and Orion

above, with his bow now pointing towards the east (or future)

rather than towards the west, which one would think would

be consistent with the Egyptian concept of the Sun's setting in

the west as being emblematic of the direction the soul goes

when heading for the afterlife.

All this was back when mankind was still battling the elements, still uncertain about survival on a level that none of us in metropolitan civilization can really imagine. So not shockingly, the ancient Egyptian calendar was timed to the idea of food production. And in that mold, it had only three seasons – the flood season (when the Nile would overflow its banks) the growing season, and a harvest season.

It was all about survival - and the water which would provide for said survival, which is the same primal driver as the Central American Maya's attentiveness to Venus.

Because the flood was a mid-summer thing, that meant the ancient Egyptian year began with the Sun moving into the constellation we know now as Leo.

And in Leo, the brightest star is….?

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That’s right...Regulus!

So now we have this VIS (very important star), this 'Royal Star of Persia' named Regulus which is Watcher of the (thinking) North and it's positioned in…Leo.

Really?

I don’t know about you, but Leo isn’t my idea of a cool, calm, intellectual "northern" sort of sign. Leo is creative. Leo envisions. Leos are often happy-go-lucky and their joie de vivre can be uber-courageous. Leos love a good laugh. (And yes, can also be a bit sun-struck.) Leos can be courageous...and sometimes a bit defensive. Leo is the sign of play, the sign of athletic competition, the sign of dating, the sign of children.

None of this sounds cool, calm and intellectual to me. Does it to you?

But there is the Regulus thing. And that does correlate with being one of Leo's challenges, seeing as nobody does personal conviction like a fire sign and Leo puts the roar in "I'M RIGHT - ANY QUESTIONS?" like nobody's business.

Which gets us to the basic Regulus point. like all Royal Stars, Regulus promises success if we avoid a particular human trait.

And that trait - in Regulus' case - is revenge and/or vengeance.

Have you ever challenged a lion? Do lions back down?

An interesting (and possibly distressing) twist on this thought is also that every sign has physical attributes and 'areas' of the body to call it's own. With Leo, that's the heart, the low back and to a somewhat lesser extent (but still notable), the circulatory system as a whole.

So we step back and think about all those strong Leo attributes. What happens when they go wrong? Or when they aren't given voice?

Answer: stress, frustration, tension...and in time, high blood pressure and often enough, a pain in the back.

(Having one, not being one.)

Wherever Leo is in your chart, plus the 5th house (the natural house of Leo) - issues having to do with those houses are where you encounter stress, tension and frustration. 

It's also where your Regulus is positioned - unless you were born since November 27, 2011, which is when Regulus moved into Virgo.

So when we think in terms of 'vengeance' one form of that would be the purely metaphysical one...the 'revenge' your body gets on you for not dealing with your feelings...for being frustrated and allowing yourself to get stressed and all.

Let's also remember that when we're working in these metaphysical realms, such physical notations also point to emotional matters. So this isn't just your heart as in that thing which circulates blood, this is your love, your ability to love, your feeling of being loved - all that. And while Leo is the circulatory system, it's also the ability to 'circulate' - to get out and about.

Any affliction or pressure on any of these 'systemic' flows of metaphysical energy affects all these systemic flows of metaphysical energy.

Then let's consider the idea that since Regulus just changed signs, that means our entire society is hugely shaped by notions which reflect this Regulus-in-Leo orientation. Yes, all stars have their effects, but Regulus would seem to be of particularly importance here.

Why? Because Regulus entered Leo back in October of 157 BCE. That means Regulus moving into Leo is a signature we can associate with the whole evolutionary cycle our world has gone through pretty much since the time of Christ.

Prior to that, Regulus was in Cancer all the way back to November of 2,346 BCE, and societies seem to shift and be shaped somewhat in the notion of Regulus' passage. And that makes sense when we stop to think about how deeply what we can't (or shouldn't) do affects us.

For those who are into greater astrological cycles these Regulus passages seem intriguingly close to the length of an astrological age - each age being 2,160 years long (if you belong to the tribe of astrological thinkers who treat this subject mathematically).

We're moving into the Age of Aquarius even as I type, which ties the 157 BCE shift of Regulus from Cancer into Leo with the world shift from the Age of Aries into the Age of Pisces - that which is just now finishing up.

Every time the Ages change, the world experiences a period of upheaval - during which the standards of life change.

But maybe it's not just a matter of the Age. Or maybe it is, and we just need to take Regulus into account as a highly important marker?
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Constellation Virgo

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With Regulus now in Virgo, stress turns into concern, worry or illness. Frustration which in Leo might have been either vented or acted out in a Leo 'athletic' (physical) manner now become both more mental and concrete.

Among other things, this suggests a rise in obsessions, subterfuge, sabotage and unfortunate over-or-under attention to health.

The up side of Regulus in Virgo would be high work standards and advancing the means by which we can become more productive in our own lives and in the world in general. With Virgo being the eighth house of the incoming Aquarian Age, the positive lies in taking responsibility for what we do and how we do it. The negative is toxicity of every sort in every venue.

And oh yes, war and - in particular, that which would amount to financial war or war through finance.
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 The Aquarian Age Wheel

Eighth house issues are notoriously difficult to begin with. Add Regulus and the tendency to "take things out on ourselves" and others are likely to be heightened.

The tendency to obsess is likely to rise - as will all that obsession leads to, including isolationism in every form. At its worst, Regulus in Virgo in the 8th house of the Age speaks to the possibility of impersonal dismissing of others, right down to the level of life.

Call it selfishness as an illness reflecting an inability to relinquish control.

At it's best however, Regulus in Virgo in the 8th house of the Age says that which has been in decline can be reclaimed. We just have to not shy away from the work and need to work together and compromise.

Almost everybody on the planet (with the exception of a few young folks I suspect aren’t reading this blog yet) ...everybody was born with Regulus in Leo.

And now, in the middle of our lives, the ‘Regulus rules' have changed.

That's tough. It could even be...(dare I say it?)...heartbreaking?

And when we remember that like all astrological affects, Regulus plays out not only in each and every individual life but in the life of our world and society...well, let me put it this way: what would you consider the 'heart' of a society? It's source of food? Its religious or moral codes? Our ability to live with each other?

How about commerce?

Remember: heart and circulation. Each part affects all other parts. Personally, I'd argue for environment except that how our world's economies work can harm or help the environment...though one wonders, especially since Earth does seem to be going through a warming spell (for whatever reason) and that is going to affect lives and food supply.

Heart and circulation. Each affects the other.

Frankly, my problem here is that I can't figure out which is causal and which is the damage to aims and success.

It does seem like a bit of a problem though.

From November 2011 through December 2083, Regulus will be at 0 Virgo. And that adds another quirky little touch.

(You didn’t think this was going to be easy, did you?)

(Did you think this was easy so far?)

That quirk comes in the form of strange dichotomies between humility and pride (aka subservience and domineering arrogance) which when triggered, is in some ways not unlike the alternating sense of being the victim and turning into the aggressor dynamic we’re going through during 2012 due to Pluto's transit of  fixed star (nebula) Facies.

The good news is that once Pluto gets done with Facies, the remaining…oh, just over 70-71 (or so) years should be a piece of cake.

Well, not exactly. But compared to this year with Pluto conjuncting Facies and Regulus at 0 Virgo?

(And Venus and Mars both having gone retrograde?)

Maybe so.

The thing to remember about Regulus in Virgo is that it’s not native to those born before November 2011. Yes, we may well get used to it, but at some level, the rest of our lives are going to feel more complicated than they “should” be.

That “should” part is what’s left over from Regulus in Virgo (aka our natal charts). Those born with Regulus in Leo will always be imprinted with the instinct which reacts to others interfering with what you want to do. And now, should that have to do with your efforts to build your future or achieve your goals?

How hard is it to be a cool, calm intellectual Leo-type? I guess that’s the question. Not to worry though…things will calm down in another 70-plus years or so.

We just have to be civil to others...starting with our Selves...in order to get there.

The lesson of the moment would seem to be not to reject others for who they are. The intolerance you sow may be that which gets heaped upon you and yours.

And that would be an ...um...royal pain.
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Next: Antares, Royal Star of Scorpio. 

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