'Anthony and Cleopatra'
Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1885)
Welcome to one of my all time convoluted blog posts. It's about Kleopatra the asteroid - and Cleopatra the person - and more than a bit about the UK's royal wedding, which considering it hasn't even taken place yet when this blog goes up, is an exercise in illumination of astro-theory and a bit of supposition.
See? I told you it was a mish-mosh...happens. And as for using the impending wedding as an illustration tool, never let it be said I didn’t use an available event!)
See? I told you it was a mish-mosh...happens. And as for using the impending wedding as an illustration tool, never let it be said I didn’t use an available event!)
So let's start with the obvious: the basic astrological item on the bill of fare today is an asteroid named Kleopatra, which come 7:24 in the evening of April 29, 2011 (UT/+0)…(and yes, that would be London, England time)…will be retrograding back into Libra.
And that means it's retrograding out of Scorpio.
Continuing to lay ground work for the conversation to come, this means that (for all you royals watchers) unless the royal wedding has been amazingly delayed, it will have taken place with Kleopatra in Scorpio.
And considering that Niobe (headstrong pride) is sitting at 1 Scorpio at the moment....? And how Scorpio is always about the emotional investment of the group (the whole group and nothing but the group, which in this case is not only local but pretty much global), this suggests that after said wedding, after all the toasting and dancing and whatnot is done in royally regal form, newlyweds William and Kate will probably be really, really, really, really, really happy to get away from all the pomp and circumstance (read: pompousness which circumstances dictate). You know...to have some 'take the shoes off,' heave the big sigh and slump into a chair time.
Not to mention some personal and private time!
And considering that Niobe (headstrong pride) is sitting at 1 Scorpio at the moment....? And how Scorpio is always about the emotional investment of the group (the whole group and nothing but the group, which in this case is not only local but pretty much global), this suggests that after said wedding, after all the toasting and dancing and whatnot is done in royally regal form, newlyweds William and Kate will probably be really, really, really, really, really happy to get away from all the pomp and circumstance (read: pompousness which circumstances dictate). You know...to have some 'take the shoes off,' heave the big sigh and slump into a chair time.
Not to mention some personal and private time!
But as we say this with our smile, giggle and wink (which isn't just for fun but also because we all know what a giant headache big events can be, royal or not!) …there is a more universal question. And that is, what does the movement of Kleopatra the asteroid have to say about all this? Can we understand more about the event and the asteroid by taking a closer look at all?
Answer: probably yes. So let's give it a try, shall we?
Obviously the metaphysics of Kleopatra start with the the queen (Cleopatra) for whom this celestial body is named. Okay, so what about Cleo? Well, as a queen, she came to the throne at the end of Egypt’s long, long, long line of headdress and sandal-wearing Pharaohs. She also seems to have actually been a notably unusual soul.
Oh and by the way, the famous Cleopatra? That's Cleopatra VII (Cleopatra the 7th)…which just proves you can’t keep a good name down. If at first you don't succeed...
Anyway, Cleopatra was not your usual woman...which is probably how she has come to spawn such enticing myths and movies. (Okay, so the movies were not all so enticing – but they were rather regal in their time!) And no, her fame is not just about her having managed to do such a tragically good job of wooing Caesar and Mark Antony at the same time…
Anyway, Cleopatra was not your usual woman...which is probably how she has come to spawn such enticing myths and movies. (Okay, so the movies were not all so enticing – but they were rather regal in their time!) And no, her fame is not just about her having managed to do such a tragically good job of wooing Caesar and Mark Antony at the same time…
Gaius Julius Caesar - the 'Tusculum portrat':
one of two surviving busts made during his life
photo credit: Tataryn 77 (aug 2010)
And to be sure Cleopatra had some iffy qualities. (Don't we all?) Personally, I happen to think a queen of any country should deign to speak the same language as her people and this wasn’t case with Cleopatra! No, she was all Greek and no local-lingo.
She also apparently wasn’t against rather dislikable practices such as testing out new and promising poisons on unfortunate captives...
Cleopatra Testing Poisons on Condemned Prisoners
by Alexandre Cabanel (1887)
Yet in spite of this, in many ways Cleopatra would strike us as a modern sort. For one, even if she wasn’t into speaking the national language, she was fluent in more than several tongues (all puns intended, obviously!) and contrary to what many think today, there were aspects of ancient Egypt – such as women being able to own property and inherit – which Cleopatra would have considered her status quo.
(Odd how from then until now such rights are denied in some countries, right?)
(Odd how from then until now such rights are denied in some countries, right?)
There’s also the fact that Cleopatra was quite the shrewd politician. This is in fact, her greatest claim to fame - or maybe how she managed to mix the politics and personal was...which yes, does remind us of a royal wedding held as a great spectacle not only for the millions in the realm but for zillions around the globe. There's nothing so personal as a wedding, and yet if you're part of a royal family the politico of being royal in this day and age certainly requires that you let people far and wide in on your most Special Day.
As for Cleopatra, yes, she had a few problems in the romance department. But how many of us (male or female) don’t get our business screwed up when the business of our heart gets involved in the business of business, political or otherwise?
As for Cleopatra, yes, she had a few problems in the romance department. But how many of us (male or female) don’t get our business screwed up when the business of our heart gets involved in the business of business, political or otherwise?
Yet it's how Cleopatra went about mixing business with the pleasure of power politics which marked her as so unique. Aside from being a shrewd socio-political force of her day, she was not just a great hostess - no, she was a magnificent hostess! One who knew to (and how to) find out all sorts of special little facts about prospective guests and thus have things arranged so that when they arrived they would be utterly charmed and enchanted from the first moment they arrived in the World of Cleopatra. And so she would keep them entertained and enticingly dallied on throughout their stay, sprinkling just enough distraction in with the politics, trade deals and economic chit-chat to keep their eyes dazzled while hers on whatever Cleopatra’s prize of the moment was.
And...well! You know how they say women are drawn to men who exude power? Well! Evidently Mark Antony and Gaius Julius Caesar, two of the most powerful men of their day, they were pretty mesmerized by Cleopatra, too - and by today’s standards she wasn’t even some raving, ravishing beauty.
A Cleopatra VII tetradrachm. She evidently didn't look
much like Elizabeth Taylor. But then, who does?
photo credit: Phgcom (2009)
Was she manipulative? Some would say undoubtedly so...and certainly the combination of political savvy and lusciously immortalized love affairs suggests how ol’ Cleo probably had some substantial Scorpio or 8th house factors in her natal chart!
Which alas…we will never have: there is no precise date (never mind time) for her birth given, so all we have to go on are the records…and the tale of her asp.
Yes, that really bites...
Yes, that really bites...
Given all this, it would seem natural for Kleopatra (now we're talking about the asteroid) to have some of the ‘maneuvering, aka manipulating’ quality we associate with the queen. We might well think the asteroid signifies where 'business' (or requirements, or responsibilities) get mixed with things personal - and whether pleasureful or not.
Considering these qualities, it might also be reasonable to think of Kleopatra the asteroid to have a natural affinity for the public signs (Libra through Pisces) rather than the private signs (Aries through Virgo) and in particular, the 3rd quadrant interactive 'sign natives': Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius.
Considering these qualities, it might also be reasonable to think of Kleopatra the asteroid to have a natural affinity for the public signs (Libra through Pisces) rather than the private signs (Aries through Virgo) and in particular, the 3rd quadrant interactive 'sign natives': Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius.
Now let's think a bit about this whole royal wedding escapade. The engagement was announced in mid-November - just as Jupiter was moving into its station to go retrograde. And that fits the rule: things which happen during a station window but before the actual station refer to things which have yet to happen.
During December, though the date and location had already rather been 'announced' there continued being a dribble and drabble of comments (read: "leaks") about how the couple would have preferred to have a small-ish, more private affair. But alas, matters of state and crown intervened.
During this self same December 2010 was when Kleopatra moved into Scorpio - the specific date being December 21st, the date of a Lunar Eclipse at 29 Gemini (critique of thoughts, critical choices). So what with this being a lunar eclipse period, we would expect some high emotional drama, no? And we got some...as Kleopatra moved through late Libra into Scorpio, we were getting the flip (the planning) of what we are now seeing as Kleopatra is retrograding back out of Scorpio into Libra. And yes, it's very 'Cleopatra royal' - the mixing of personal and state.
So what about the rest of us who aren't lords and ladies except perhaps in our own mind? Well, the same premises exist, just on a smaller scale.
Yet on another level, let us be more astrologically pragmatic: as December's Gemini Lunar Eclipse was part of/marked the settling of date, place and such in Buckingham Palace wedding circles and that is being played out today, so are matters of our own lives from that time likely to be playing out now as well. That lunar eclipse at 29 Gemini with Kleopatra passing through 29 Libra to reach Scorpio created a period of trining...when things would 'just happen because that's the way they works' (whether we like it or not!).
During December, though the date and location had already rather been 'announced' there continued being a dribble and drabble of comments (read: "leaks") about how the couple would have preferred to have a small-ish, more private affair. But alas, matters of state and crown intervened.
During this self same December 2010 was when Kleopatra moved into Scorpio - the specific date being December 21st, the date of a Lunar Eclipse at 29 Gemini (critique of thoughts, critical choices). So what with this being a lunar eclipse period, we would expect some high emotional drama, no? And we got some...as Kleopatra moved through late Libra into Scorpio, we were getting the flip (the planning) of what we are now seeing as Kleopatra is retrograding back out of Scorpio into Libra. And yes, it's very 'Cleopatra royal' - the mixing of personal and state.
So what about the rest of us who aren't lords and ladies except perhaps in our own mind? Well, the same premises exist, just on a smaller scale.
Yet on another level, let us be more astrologically pragmatic: as December's Gemini Lunar Eclipse was part of/marked the settling of date, place and such in Buckingham Palace wedding circles and that is being played out today, so are matters of our own lives from that time likely to be playing out now as well. That lunar eclipse at 29 Gemini with Kleopatra passing through 29 Libra to reach Scorpio created a period of trining...when things would 'just happen because that's the way they works' (whether we like it or not!).
And as I remember that time (the phone calls, the emails...) I do seem to remember a good number of people not liking everything all that much. There was something of a ‘grab your asp’ high drama signature going on in many a life!
Expect the echos of that now.
An Egyptian Cobra. The term 'asp' is presumed to be short
for 'aspis' - an old term for any type of venomous snake. For this
reason, many think Cleopatra's famous asp was actually an
Egyptian Cobra.
So now we arrive at today: April 29th. What's the timing here?
Well, as Kleopatra retrogrades through 0 Scorpio heading for its re-entry into Libra at 7:24pm (UT/+0), the Moon will be just be leaving Pisces (encountering our old - ugh! - friend fixed star Scheat) and entering Aries. And this creates an aspect relationship astrology calls an inconjunct. It's a situational energetic which calls for adjustment...which in this case includes the feelings of the public (Scheat/Moon) which aren't, well, delighted.
Let's just go there.
And what's being adjusted? The "I" Aries desire as it meets up with the jointly held emotional values (Scorpio/Moon). This inconjunct only lasts a couple of hours, but it does express some inconvenience to be sure and like as not, feelings of being 'put upon.'
Well, as Kleopatra retrogrades through 0 Scorpio heading for its re-entry into Libra at 7:24pm (UT/+0), the Moon will be just be leaving Pisces (encountering our old - ugh! - friend fixed star Scheat) and entering Aries. And this creates an aspect relationship astrology calls an inconjunct. It's a situational energetic which calls for adjustment...which in this case includes the feelings of the public (Scheat/Moon) which aren't, well, delighted.
Let's just go there.
And what's being adjusted? The "I" Aries desire as it meets up with the jointly held emotional values (Scorpio/Moon). This inconjunct only lasts a couple of hours, but it does express some inconvenience to be sure and like as not, feelings of being 'put upon.'
These effects will "set in” around 1:30pm and last until midnight (London time) - and just to add to the joy (not!) will be the Moon opposing giant black hole M87 during the heart of this period.
One would expect - as concerns the wedding of William and Kate - that people will (automatically...let's be real here...) compare it with the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana. No, that's not fair. But it'll get done. And if that's the only cloud which dims any of the light on this day that should be good enough, as astrological thinking would tend towards also warning that this configuration suggests that not everything should be expected to run as traditionally or royally predicted.
Why not?
For that we have to consider what 'rules' what, and where those sign rulers are.
Rulership tells us a great deal about the ‘nature’ of an energy's outlet. In this case, we're starting with Kleopatra in Scorpio...so where are Mars and Pluto?
To Scorpio, Mars is the pro-active choice, the assertion. And depending on how good, bad or properly involving/appealing that choice is….that leads to the Pluto ‘outcome’ - the ‘transformative’ emotional experience of the moment, plus or terribly minus.
Libra is terribly different in that it’s an air sign. It’s about the idea, the agreement, the theory of the thing. Ruled by Venus, Libra is the moment where cause become affect and things get realized instead of felt (as they are in Scorpio).
Not that Libra doesn't have it's hard side. There are tough negotiations and fun, relaxed days. There are arguments and blissful agreements. It's all Libra.
Westminster Abbey
photo credit: Tebbetts (2006)
So as we said…barring the unforeseen at time of writing (which is on one sunny, early/mid-April day) Kleopatra will be in Scorpio when the ‘I do’s’ get said, meaning the Mars sense of ‘making it happen’ (active ‘doing’) added to the Scorpio 'joint/joined values' will be uppermost in charge.
Very apt, don't you think? Kleopatra as a symbol of 'the royal importance' to mix business and pleasure at the primal degree of zero Scorpio (any zero degree indicating a "beginning" or 'staring out point) as the wedding - a very Scorpio thing its emotional 'joining together' quality - happens in front of not only family and friends, but politically important people (Cleopatra would approve) and a good part of the global world.
A note here for those who consider marriage to be a Libra thing: the contract between two people is a verbal agreement - that's Libra. The state of two living as one, that's Libra. The joint assets is Scorpio - as is the sexual union, whatever issue may come of that and the 'til death do us part bit.
But marriage, as an institution is Capricorn. Why? Because it's a societally recognized thing, marriage. If two people just go off and say 'we're us' that's Libra. To be recognized as a married couple, to pay joint taxes, to live in the social/societal stature of 'a married couple' - even the fact that your get a wedding license from a civil authority says it's Capricorn. If you can't get married without the license and the license comes from a civil magisterial functionary of some kind, that's Capricorn - not to mention the famous phrase 'by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you...'
Who do you think 'vests' that power in whatever member of the clergy or justice of the peace performs the ceremony? That would be the city, state, county, or nation - something like that. And that's Capricorn.
Very apt, don't you think? Kleopatra as a symbol of 'the royal importance' to mix business and pleasure at the primal degree of zero Scorpio (any zero degree indicating a "beginning" or 'staring out point) as the wedding - a very Scorpio thing its emotional 'joining together' quality - happens in front of not only family and friends, but politically important people (Cleopatra would approve) and a good part of the global world.
A note here for those who consider marriage to be a Libra thing: the contract between two people is a verbal agreement - that's Libra. The state of two living as one, that's Libra. The joint assets is Scorpio - as is the sexual union, whatever issue may come of that and the 'til death do us part bit.
But marriage, as an institution is Capricorn. Why? Because it's a societally recognized thing, marriage. If two people just go off and say 'we're us' that's Libra. To be recognized as a married couple, to pay joint taxes, to live in the social/societal stature of 'a married couple' - even the fact that your get a wedding license from a civil authority says it's Capricorn. If you can't get married without the license and the license comes from a civil magisterial functionary of some kind, that's Capricorn - not to mention the famous phrase 'by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you...'
Who do you think 'vests' that power in whatever member of the clergy or justice of the peace performs the ceremony? That would be the city, state, county, or nation - something like that. And that's Capricorn.
So saying, back to our regularly scheduled episode....
...it's going to be interesting to see (or more likely, hear about) how things change as the gigundo world-scale party is over and the more personal party begins. As I've heard of this whole event (which goodness knows, could be wrong or could change!) once the grand celebration is over there will be a dinner held for family and friends in the early-ish evening.
Will that fit with a celestial timeclock which at about 7-7:30 in the evening has Kleopatra retrograding back into Libra? One would suppose, no?
At this point Venus (ruler of Libra) gets to do it's Venus-in-Aries number of saying 'its more about the 'us' of it all' - as opposed to the grand affair of royal state. Wherever they are, William and Kate will likely be at this point really beginning to 'feel married' as a couple instead of going through the massive obligations which as members of a highly aristocratic institution (monarchy) they are required to follow at least to the 't,' if not to the 'x, y and z'.
And as they turn to thinking more about their own lives (and the having survived the great state event) we ourselves will be thinking less in terms of 'them' (whoever that is in our day) and more in terms of 'my life, my world, my personal interactions.'
But wait...wait...wait. Mars and Venus are not even vaguely isolated on this date, so we have to give a thought to that, too! Yes, its easy to think of Mars wandering along looking soldierly, but that's not quite it. Today has Mars conjunct Eris (you remember her: Eris Discord?) and expansive Jupiter (expansion), all at 21 Aries.
Known as a symbol of 'discordance,' Eris is generally ether social evolution or some kind of discord-revolution. When combined with Mars and Jupiter all in Aries this is energy and attention on the grandest of grand scales against the possibilities of grandstanding ...in all our lives.
And how does that pertain to the royal wedding? Well let's remember that this Mars-Eris-Jupiter trio is not just of the William-and-Kate-moment. No, for them this is going to be in their marriage chart.
...it's going to be interesting to see (or more likely, hear about) how things change as the gigundo world-scale party is over and the more personal party begins. As I've heard of this whole event (which goodness knows, could be wrong or could change!) once the grand celebration is over there will be a dinner held for family and friends in the early-ish evening.
Will that fit with a celestial timeclock which at about 7-7:30 in the evening has Kleopatra retrograding back into Libra? One would suppose, no?
At this point Venus (ruler of Libra) gets to do it's Venus-in-Aries number of saying 'its more about the 'us' of it all' - as opposed to the grand affair of royal state. Wherever they are, William and Kate will likely be at this point really beginning to 'feel married' as a couple instead of going through the massive obligations which as members of a highly aristocratic institution (monarchy) they are required to follow at least to the 't,' if not to the 'x, y and z'.
And as they turn to thinking more about their own lives (and the having survived the great state event) we ourselves will be thinking less in terms of 'them' (whoever that is in our day) and more in terms of 'my life, my world, my personal interactions.'
But wait...wait...wait. Mars and Venus are not even vaguely isolated on this date, so we have to give a thought to that, too! Yes, its easy to think of Mars wandering along looking soldierly, but that's not quite it. Today has Mars conjunct Eris (you remember her: Eris Discord?) and expansive Jupiter (expansion), all at 21 Aries.
Known as a symbol of 'discordance,' Eris is generally ether social evolution or some kind of discord-revolution. When combined with Mars and Jupiter all in Aries this is energy and attention on the grandest of grand scales against the possibilities of grandstanding ...in all our lives.
And how does that pertain to the royal wedding? Well let's remember that this Mars-Eris-Jupiter trio is not just of the William-and-Kate-moment. No, for them this is going to be in their marriage chart.
So what is 21 Aries all about? Well, simply by its being a degree between 20 and 29 of some sign (any sign!) we know this is about responding to circumstances, input, necessity - all that. And in Aries, this is me responding to those circumstances with Aries attention, action and (hopefully) courage.
That 21 Aries is also specifically known as a degree ‘displaying all one is’ we would assume fits the wedding and it's millions of witnesses. But it also may well be our thinking about ourselves. Whatever happens today, whether you're a wedding-watcher or not, events and thoughts and input may well incite reaction or spur you to move into a mode of being 'more.' Remember - the Moon (our instinctual feeling capacity) is going to be in opposition to M87 during at least part of this time (allowing for adjustment to your local time zone, of course). But as that happens, you may well be seeing or feeling inspired or even just realizing what you could do or what you could be. You could be hearing the 'other side' of something and gaining perspective.
It's just a period which asks us to see alternatives, and maybe even to adopt a few. In seeing those alternatives, our attention may well begin to work on how to get what we want from our world, someone in it, or for our life. Then as Kleopatra moves into Libra (heightening the Venus influence) we're likely to voice or 'know better' what it is we really want.
But this isn't just happening in a vacuum tube either: Venus is in Aries and keeping conjunct company with Pelion (a mountain to be conquered), Mercury (thoughts of self) with this combination in opposition to Saturn (retrograde) at 11 Libra.
On one hand, don’t be surprised if you feel bogged down, ‘hemmed in’ or in ‘bound’ to something. Or someone. Don't be surprised if you think about all the effort it will/would take to achieve your dreams and feel a little queasy.
It's just a period which asks us to see alternatives, and maybe even to adopt a few. In seeing those alternatives, our attention may well begin to work on how to get what we want from our world, someone in it, or for our life. Then as Kleopatra moves into Libra (heightening the Venus influence) we're likely to voice or 'know better' what it is we really want.
But this isn't just happening in a vacuum tube either: Venus is in Aries and keeping conjunct company with Pelion (a mountain to be conquered), Mercury (thoughts of self) with this combination in opposition to Saturn (retrograde) at 11 Libra.
On one hand, don’t be surprised if you feel bogged down, ‘hemmed in’ or in ‘bound’ to something. Or someone. Don't be surprised if you think about all the effort it will/would take to achieve your dreams and feel a little queasy.
This could also be a time when we go overboard with others. Why? Because we're tired or frustrated with ourselves. And for William and Kate...well, they know full well going in that their 'private lives' are not going to be entirely private. But with this indicator...? One can only guess that the effects of that are going to be more than even they have come to expect.
All of us face shifting dynamics today...and we're likely to be a bit impatient. No, we don't want to wait - can't I skip the veggies and just have dessert?
No, says life. You have to eat veggies! But dessert? That could make it all very, very worthwhile!
All of us face shifting dynamics today...and we're likely to be a bit impatient. No, we don't want to wait - can't I skip the veggies and just have dessert?
No, says life. You have to eat veggies! But dessert? That could make it all very, very worthwhile!
To finish up here about the wedding. Since this blog posts before the wedding even starts, a full telling of the chart tale which will be cast for the ‘I now pronounce you husband and wife’ moment will yet have to wait. But at least we know how the stage has been set, right?
Also: there are always three astrological parties in any two-person relationship. Each person has a chart, and the chart of the relationship makes three.
Think of it this way: many people like being married – they just can’t stand the person they’re married to! And there are those who like another person fine, they just don’t think they’re the right marriage partner. There is the person...and the relationship. The marriage chart is that of the relationship as a married couple.
Kleopatra the celestial body will remain in retrograde until June 19/20, when it goes direct at 23 Libra, hanging out there with Spica (putting aside one's self for the greater benefit) for a few days before heading back towards Scorpio, which it will re-enter on pretty much throughout the ill not then re-enter Scorpio until August 12/13 which should be just about the time of the 2011 Persied Meteor Shower under Leo.
Think of it this way: many people like being married – they just can’t stand the person they’re married to! And there are those who like another person fine, they just don’t think they’re the right marriage partner. There is the person...and the relationship. The marriage chart is that of the relationship as a married couple.
Kleopatra the celestial body will remain in retrograde until June 19/20, when it goes direct at 23 Libra, hanging out there with Spica (putting aside one's self for the greater benefit) for a few days before heading back towards Scorpio, which it will re-enter on pretty much throughout the ill not then re-enter Scorpio until August 12/13 which should be just about the time of the 2011 Persied Meteor Shower under Leo.
Oh gosh. I wonder what we'll learn then...?
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