As I waited for the birth time of the future king of the United Kingdom, I couldn't help but notice that the Queen is about to experience her third and final Saturn Return. It's particularly interesting because
a) she's highly significant in world history
b) her natal Saturn is conjunct her midheaven
c) it isn't that often that we can witness a third Saturn Return of someone who is still actively engaged in life and work.
If you use the tag cloud in the left sidebar to find "Saturn," there are several posts about the milestones that it augurs for each of us during its cycle through our lives. It marks the rise and fall of kings, queens, presidents, and the rich and famous, as well as you and me.
I read somewhere that when Queen Elizabeth acceded to the throne she said that she would be queen for life, but in sixty-five years, she has had time to rethink it. If the Queen were ever to decide to retire, this upcoming Saturn Return would be the most likely time. Everyone knows Prince Charles is next in line to the throne. But neither Charles nor William will be king until the queen ends her reign one way or the other. So let's see what she is going to do during her Saturn Return.
Queen Elizabeth must be very pleased that William and Kate named their baby for her beloved father. Did you see the movie The King's Speech, starring Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush?
The movie is about King George VI, who became king when his brother, Edward VIII, abdicated the throne to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson. So on December 11, 1936, George "Bertie" became king, and his eldest child, Elizabeth, became Heir Presumptive to the throne. George is also the regnal name that Prince Charles is said to have chosen for himself in honor of his maternal grandfather. You might want to keep that in mind throughout this post.
Postscript / June 20, 2014 I happened to notice last night as I was reading in Marc Edmund Jones' book of Sabian Symbols that he has the Queen's birth time listed as 1:40 AM (no time zone mentioned, although we know she was born in London). Dr. Jones states in the book that all the charts were checked and tested for accuracy. Obviously, this would make a huge difference in her chart. I looked at the couple of dates that I had available in my data bank, such as the death of Princess Diana, which put transiting Mars conjunct the midheaven, which seems appropriate considering her reaction at the time. So I'm going to have to do some research and testing of my own, and will return.
As you can see, the eclipse at the top of the chart (along with Venus) is not at her midheaven, it's just at the top of the chart. However, follow the long red arrow downward, and you can see that the eclipse opposes the Queen's natal sun. That can be a threat to life and limb if other aspects concur. The sun is in her second house of money and resources, and rules her intercepted 7th house of marriage and business partners, significant others and known opponents. Before anyone jumps to any conclusions, Mercury and Saturn do not change direction by progression in her chart for another five years after this eclipse (see the houses they rule). Transiting Venus in this chart may play an important role as well by being
- conjunct the eclipse
- being placed in the first house natally
- being the ruler of three houses in the natal chart, two of which are houses of endings.
Transiting Saturn (at 11 o'clock) is not only conjunct her natal midheaven, marking a milestone, it is also conjunct its own natal place. That makes this a highly significant transit. Those two transits alone make this an important time worth watching in her life, but there are more that will also greatly challenge her. The transiting moon's nodes are square the natal moon's nodes, which fall across her ascendant / descendant axis. This makes events during this time highly personal and very likely to involve family. I don't attend the school of thought that the nodes always involve family, but I do have the utmost respect for a particular Australian astrologer who espouses that theory. In this case, though, family is involved (I can see it in all their charts, as well). The natal north node is in Cancer, the sign of family, as well as Prince William's sun sign, and the south node is in Capricorn, the sign of business, as well as the sun sign of Princess Kate (we will not be examining her birth chart because we don't have her birth time) and the ascendant sign of Prince Harry. When the nodes square their natal places, it is a time of crisis and a turning point. This one appears to be about business and family.
Pluto is the ruler of the Queen's midheaven, and it is located in her 6th house of service, duty and obligation, also known as the house of health, nutrition, and the daily grind for we peasants. Transiting Pluto will oppose its own position there. That is another major turning point, although not one we know much about because few people live to an age to experience this transit. Because the signs involved are Cancer and Capricorn again, this is another indication that home and family vs. business will influence matters or decisions surrounding her midheaven. Her health may be a consideration, of course. This will not be an easy transit. Her natal Pluto will also be afflicted by transiting Uranus, the planet of sudden unexpected changes that are disruptive in nature. Her natal Mars and Jupiter are conjunct, which is a very fortunate combination to have. It's known for being a "lucky" conjunction that normally leads to success. It provides self-confidence in her ability to achieve whatever she sets out to do. These planets are in the Queen's first house of personality and self-awareness, and make an easy trine to her midheaven. She has never doubted for a second that she could rule a nation and be a world power, nor would she imagine that her decisions would be second-guessed. But at the time of the eclipse, transiting Jupiter opposes this conjunction, and Jupiter is the planet of over-doing, over-confidence, over-stepping, over-estimating, over-everything when it is afflicted. Jupiter is often guilty of being too much of a good thing. Jupiter opposed to Mars is headstrong and feels bulletproof. The timing for success is off. The impulsiveness and willfulness of this opposition can cause big problems for most people. The Queen is not most people. Sixty years on the throne, a Capricorn ascendant and a strong Saturn has instilled in her the knowledge and self-discipline that she cannot go around half-cocked at any time. I think it's interesting that Robert Hand, one of the most revered astrologers of our generation says that the other thing this transit can do is confer real courage. He interprets it as:
"The difference between courage and foolhardiness is simple self-knowledge, which you must have to make this transit work out positively. If you are cool and collected in what you do, this can be a time of considerable triumph as you overcome obstacles and accomplish deeds that you would usually feel incapable of. If you have to stand up for yourself, you can, and in a way that makes further dealings with your opponents constructive rather than destructive. But this will happen only if you keep your head."
..............................................~ Robert Hand, Planets in Transit
I ask you, who is more capable of keeping her head than one with a Capricorn ascendant and Saturn on the midheaven? Unfortunately, transiting Mars, the planet of physical energy, assertiveness, restlessness and impulsive acts is squaring her natal Uranus, the planet of the sudden and unexpected. It's a highly rebellious energy that wants to kick over the traces and be free of all restrictions and limitations. This is a highly accident-prone transit, and Uranus is the ruler of her intercepted ascendant, again making it personal and possibly involving her physical body. That is a lot of stressful activity, important milestones and major turning points in a chart all at once.
The most obvious transits are Pluto conjunct the ascendant and Uranus square the ascendant / descendant axis. Both of these are going to influence Prince Philip's relationship with the Queen and other significant people in his life in a major way. Both indicate a time of big changes. Pluto is intense energy that smolders beneath the surface and can cause obsessive and compulsive actions as well as a desire to manipulate matters and seize power and control of every situation. All kinds of previously hidden motivations bubble to the surface. With Pluto in this position, he will not bend to the will of another. In some regards, Pluto is a destroyer. It's the planet of death and rebirth, removing the old things that have served their purpose and replacing them with something new. Just as it does in the Queen's chart, Pluto rules his midheaven, representing his career, status and direction in life. It is the public persona, but because Pluto is conjunct his ascendant, it is also personal. Uranus is the planet of sudden and unexpected energy disrupting his relationship with his wife and possibly other significant people in his life.
The transiting north node trines his natal sun and that's a bit of good news, usually. His sun rules his 8th house of death, surgery, and endings. But this is also the house of shared resources and community property, so his wife's finances affect his finances, and I have noticed quite a bit of 2nd house and 5th house activity in all the royal charts. I know very little about British government. Is this the time of year when they collect an annual salary or pay taxes? Something big appears to be going on with money matters. Finally, transiting Jupiter has not quite made the conjunction to Philip's natal moon, but it's very close and will become partile. It will also turn retrograde on the moon's degree, keeping it there a longer period of time than if it just passed by, and it will intensify the energies created by the conjunction. Jupiter is the planet of hope, optimism, joy, abundance, bigger, better and more, so it's pleasant to have it connecting to the moon that represents your emotional nature and needs. The moon in a man's chart represents both the mother and the wife. I doubt at the age of 93 that the Prince Consort still has a mother living, but Jupiter conjuncting the moon here could mean idealizing his wife, and it does rule his 7th house of marriage. It would also be wise to note here that planets changing direction--especially when conjunct a natal planet--very often indicate major events are taking place.)
We can see that the eclipse takes place in Prince Charles' 4th house of mother, home and family. This is the house of foundations and beginnings and is also one of the houses of endings. It's the house of real estate and dwellings, as well. The eclipse exactly opposes his natal moon in his 10th house of career and reputation. The moon represents our emotional needs and security, our inner child, and our instinctual habits. In a man's chart it also represents the mother and the wife. Charles' moon is exactly conjunct his mother's sun. This indicates a stressful situation concerning these matters, but most importantly, his mother, as we have seen in her chart.
The moon in Charles' chart rules his 12th house of institutions, charity, and solitude. This is the house of clandestine matters (we can see how that worked out with he, Diana and Camilla) and things that are secret and go on behind the scenes. It's the house of grief, sorrow, self-undoing, confinement and the self-imposed prison of guilt. It is the house of the subconscious as well as the collective unconscious. It is the third house of endings.
This is reinforced by the eclipse Jupiter conjunct Pluto in Charles' chart. Pluto is the ruler of his Scorpio sun and it takes place in his first house, making it a personal matter. This aspect is about gaining extraordinary power and making tremendous efforts to achieve something big. This is true whether the power has an outlet or not. Transiting Pluto is just beginning to move through his 6th house of duty, service and obligation, the house of the Daily Grind, and making a stressful square to his midheaven which is the seat of power. Squares are stressful. They force changes. That brings us to the ruler of Charles' 6th house, Saturn. The eclipse Neptune opposes his natal Saturn. This is never a happy transit. It dissolves the reality structures and leaves us naked and shivering in fear. When everything that felt safe and secure is taken from us it's hard to start from scratch and to determine what our priorities should be. There's a good chance that we will get it wrong because Neptune shrouds reality in a thick fog and causes disorientation. It could be that Charles will be informed of certain realities at this time that cause a great deal of fear and anxiety. The purpose of this transit may be to teach him that the new structures can't be the same as the old structures because the old ones didn't work. He will have to find new ways of doing things. This is also an important time for him to see a doctor, particularly with Saturn being connected to his 6th house of health. Because Saturn is in his second house of money, and Neptune confuses and disorients things, I can imagine him being dumbfounded about restrictions and limitations on finances at this time. That may be where the fear arises.
Charles also has transiting Mars conjunct his natal Jupiter in the 5th house of children, creativity, romance and the risks of life. This is the house of recreation, sports, parties, celebrations and entertainment and this conjunction is one that confers plenty of physical energy. He only needs to be wary of over-confidence or over-doing things. This is the house of games, gambling and speculation, and Mars and Jupiter working together are so beneficial, the conjunction is known as fortunate (Jupiter) action (Mars). He has also experienced a Mars Return in the week leading up to the eclipse. That's the equivalent of going to the gas station (petrol to you Brits) and filling up with physical energy for the next two years. It is the co-ruler of his Scorpio sun as well as the ruler of his midheaven. This is a significant matter. For those who know how, you should take a look at his Mars Return, which takes place in his 5th house with the moon at 0 Cancer, which is the degree of Prince Williams' sun. The planets form a kite configuration with the south node in Aries at the tail.
Last but not least, transiting Mercury and the north node conjunct Charles' natal Venus both in and ruling the 4th house of home, mother, foundations, beginnings, endings and real estate. Mercury should bring news, and the north node should make it fortunate. Both Mercury and Venus rule his 11th house described just above: things beyond our control and out of our hands, things that can radically alter our priorities. It's the house of good fortune, unexpected gains and lucky breaks. Embracing change. Let's look at Camilla's chart for the eclipse, as what affects Charles is bound to affect her as well.
Duchess of Cornwall
July 17, 1947 7:10 AM BWT
London, England
(Already dressing the part, apparently.)
It's hard for me to like Camilla, as I still see her as a home wrecker, but I must admit that she and Prince Charles are an excellent match. Their ascendants and midheaven are almost identical and all her Cancer planets trine all his Scorpio ones. It's easy to see that the eclipse falls into the same place in her chart that it falls in his chart - the 4th house of home, family, foundations, beginnings, endings and real estate. The difference here is that it doesn't oppose her moon.
We can also see that transiting Uranus conjuncts her midheaven as well, bringing the same sudden and unexpected changes to her reputation and status in life. Transiting Pluto forces the same stressful changes for her that it thrusts on him. Transiting Saturn, ruler of her 6th house of service, duty and obligation, the planet of responsibility and authority, makes a trine (ease, gifts) to her natal sun, ruler of her ascendant and 2nd house of money. The sun in this case undoubtedly represents her inner identity, her life force and who she is at her core, but it can also represent Charles, because the sun represents the husband and father in a woman's chart the same way the moon represents the wife or mother in a man's. She does not have natal Saturn in the same position that Charles has his, so transiting Neptune is not afflicting it. There is neither loss nor fear for her.
Her 6th house is intercepted, which demands a great deal of attention but really has no power of its own because there is no outlet for the intercepted energy. Jupiter is the other ruler of her 6th house of service, duty and obligation, the one on the cusp. Transiting Jupiter squares her natal Jupiter, forcing it to act, to do something worthwhile. It is, however, a little bit past the exact square. I don't know if that indicates foreknowledge or just that it is still within orb. It is clearly past her Pluto, so she will not be seizing any power of her own (watch for her big power play in mid-September). At the time of the eclipse, transiting Mercury will square her natal Mercury, and both are retrograde, which will bring stressful news. This is made doubly so by the fact that Mercury is the ruler of her 3rd house of communication (and everyday environment) as well as being in and ruling her 12th house of secrets, sorrows, self-undoing, institutions (such as jails, hospitals, orphanages and charities), places of hiding and confinement and clandestine matters. Finally, Jupiter, planet of expansion and gain trines her south node in the 10th house of status and reputation. The south node is usually thought of as being malefic, but sometimes it is only tied to matters with their roots in the past.
Prince William, Duke of Cambridge June 21, 1982 9:03 PM BST London, England
Now here's where it starts to get interesting. In Prince Williams' chart? The eclipse is conjunct his midheaven, the magic place that represents the career, reputation, status and path in life. It's not an exact hit (2 degree orb), but it's close enough. In fact, the two or three degrees before the midheaven is considered the most powerful of all. And, it makes an exact trine to his natal sun. His sun is angular (therefore, also very powerful), falling on his descendant and in his 7th house of marriage and significant others, and rules his 8th house. We've been through the 8th house description, but here it is again, in brief: sex, death, transformation, surgery, and other people's money.
The eclipse also happens to be in exact conjunction with his natal Jupiter, the ruler of his ascendant, which makes it a personal matter. It is the planet of expansion, good fortune, hope, optimism, joy and luck. It is the planet that reaches out and attempts to understand a larger world, the planet of long-distance travel and expanded knowledge. In addition, Jupiter rules his 12th house of institutions, charity, and solitude. This is the house of clandestine matters and things that are secret and go on behind the scenes. It's the house of grief, sorrow, self-undoing, confinement and the self-imposed prison of guilt. It is the house of the subconscious as well as the collective unconscious. It is the third house of endings. Are both houses involved in this matter? I don't know, but the eclipse vertex, the symbol of "dates with destiny," is just inside the 12th house.
Transiting Jupiter will conjunct his natal Transpluto, a hypothetical planet that constantly appears in charts of large windfalls. It represents self-sufficiency. Transiting Venus, which is conjunct the eclipse, is also conjunct William's natal Jupiter and that is always good fortune. Transiting Pluto, the planet of power, control and manipulation is conjunct William's south node in the 1st house of personal matters. The south node is usually known as a malefic influence that brings unfortunate events, but it also indicates reliance on things from the past. Transiting Uranus squares this conjunction, bringing unpleasant surprises and disruptions. Uranus rules his 2nd house of money and resources.
The transiting moon's nodes square his natal moon's nodes, the indication of a critical turning point, the same as it does in the Queen's chart. The transiting north node is not yet exactly conjunct William's Saturn, ruler of his intercepted ascendant, but it's close enough to be valid. The nodes often work within a three degree orb. Mercury, the planet of communication is also applying to that conjunction. This brings serious, sober news. Transiting Saturn opposes his natal Venus, so that news is probably about a woman. It also opposes his natal Chiron, which is usually defined as wounds that will never heal, or healing through pain. I neither agree nor disagree with that. I don't think we really know yet what all Chiron might project. Transiting Chiron did conjunct William's Jupiter (ruler of his ascendant) and trine his sun (ruler of the 8th house of death) at the time Princess Diana died. However, no planets aspected his natal Chiron then. Last but not least, the eclipse Mars conjuncts William's ascendant. This is an indication of anger and resentment, and probably having it out with someone, even if it is only a result of self-defense. It can indicate illness, fever, or an accident, as well. It is the planet of taking action.
HOLD THE PHONE ON HARRY FOR NOW. Sorry, folks, but I think I made a mistake somewhere and need to rework this chart. I don't have time to do it right now, so just take it with a grain of salt.
Postscript: June 20, 2014 / Do you see how Harry's midheaven isn't the highest point in the chart? Instead of being where 12 would be on a clock, it's where the 11 would be. When I worked on these charts--it's been a while now-- I think I saw transiting or progressed (or something similar) Venus and the north node conjunct the 9th house cusp, thought it was the midheaven, and jumped to the conclusion that Harry would get married. I still haven't had the time to take another look at it, but now that I need to check the Queen's chart, I'll do that as well. As Ah-nold would say, "I'll be bock."
Just like his Grandmother, Prince Harry has Saturn conjunct the midheaven and a Capricorn ascendant. He may be sowing wild oats now (as his uncle Randy Andy before him), but he will settle down and we will see great things from him. The eclipse exactly conjuncts his natal Pluto, ruler of his midheaven, the magic place that represents his career, reputation and status in life, making it a public matter. Transiting Pluto exactly conjuncts his ascendant (now it's a personal matter). The eclipse Saturn, planet of responsibility opposes his natal moon and sextiles his natal sun. Both are rulers of his 7th house of marriage. Maybe that's why I keep seeing the 5th house of parties being activated in all these charts. I'm going to stop there because it has finally become obvious to me what I've been seeing. I have cast and studied seventy-nine charts in the past two days trying to sort all this out. I've looked at natals, progressions, directions, returns, harmonics and transits until my head was swimming with them, and finally, when I got to the last chart that I suspected would reveal something important, I found the answer I wasn't looking for. Prince Harry is getting married (or at least, engaged).
So who would be king if the matter were to be decided at the time of this eclipse? Man, oh, man. It's a tough call. If I include the previous eclipse (a lunar one about two weeks prior), then I'd have to say Charles. But there are some caveats here. I don't think Charles really wants to be king; however Camilla very much wants to be Queen Consort. (And I'm wondering now why Philip is Prince Consort rather than King Consort if Camilla gets to be Queen and not Princess?) Every progressed chart I looked at for Charles and Camilla indicates changes in their status in life. But when it comes to the transits, Uranus is the planet bringing those changes, and it is a planet of surprises and the unexpected. Charles becoming King would be neither. Charles not becoming king would be surprising and unexpected, so that's confusing to me.
Another thing that bothers me about it is that in both their charts - possibly because they are so similar - the 12th house strongly figures into the overall picture. This is the house of sorrow and grief, so if Charles became king due to his mother's passing, that would make sense. But it is also the house of seclusion and isolation, and that sounds more like what Charles would really rather do - retire and live a quiet life in the country. The eclipse occurring in the 4th house of both charts could indicate that they'll move - but I don't know where they live now, so that's kind of useless information to me. The 4th house is both beginnings and endings, but they are the "from the cradle to the grave" type. The beginnings are connected to childhood and the foundations in life, while the endings are connected to the other end of life, or to the end of a matter in question.
Prince William's chart is just as good! His progressed and directed charts also have excellent aspects to his midheaven, his public identity and seat of power. But there are two things to consider that keep me from making the call for either man. Charles' chart has the Jupiter / Pluto aspect of seizing a lot of power; William's does not. William's chart has the Mars conjunction to his ascendant which is either taking action or being mad as hell, and I can't tell which. If we had Kate's birth time and I could cast her chart, it might tip the scales in one direction or the other, but since we don't, I guess we'll just have to wait and see. One other thing I noted while working on the charts was that every single one of them contains money issues at the time of the eclipse. Since that is not what I went in search of, I didn't look into it that much.
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