Dear Folk,
Writing all the Tom Stoppard plays, myself,
September 7 marks the birthday of one of the finest rulers England has ever had, Elizabeth I (Tudor), daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. If you would not mind doing some honor to the Lady, you might want to look at her birth chart with me for a few moments. It won't hurt. I promise.
Her chart is available Click here You could print it out or just have it handy to look at.
Looking at the chart now? Good. It is a round chart. Liz would not have been used to that but it makes it easier to talk about for us moderns. Look to the right of the wheel. There are a series of boxes which have symbols in them. The second one down is the signs of the zodiac and the third one down shows the planets and their symbols. You will need to refer to those. We will not get into aspects much this time.
A brief aside. You may think of the planets as actors, some naturally are good at some roles, the signs as the costume and roles they take on, and the Houses as the stage they are playing upon.
We shall start at her Sun. You will find that it is a circle with a dot inside it. Notice that it is in Virgo. Ah, the Virgin Queen. Now some of us are Virgos and I am sure you know some Virgos. Although most folks do not act exactly like their sun sign,
Virgos tend to be neat and orderly people. A place for everything and everything in its place. They like puzzles and are often very bright folk. Hard workers, too. Okay, some can be hyper-critical, petty and perfectionistic. The devil is in the details, right?
Elizabeth was certainly bright and worked very hard for her country. Notice that her Sun is in the wedge which has the number 8. That is the Eighth House. It is the area where she derives most of her energy. The Eighth House is about manipulation, transformation, sex, death, other peoples money. Eighth House matters are subtle and controlling. Not our innocent daughter of Anne and Hank!
Can you find her Moon? Good, it is in the lower part of the circle in the Third House and it is in Taurus (notice the little horned bull symbol). The Moon is where we find belonging. The Third House is communications, siblings, and short journeys. Taurus speaks of being a tad stubborn, careful, a survivor. Think of Liz's siblings: Bloody Mary Tudor and young Edward. Her life was a balancing act. She was careful with her speech, especially when her father had her mom beheaded. Her brother Edward even had Mary and Liz disinherited. It took a strong gal to live through all that. Very survivor oriented. Does this also show an incredible need for stability? You bet. It also traditionally shows that she was intuitive (3rd house Moon.)
The next point I would like to look at is not a planet or luminary (Sun and Moon are luminaries) but the line which divides the segment which says 12 and that which says 1. That line is called the Ascendant or Rising Sign. It is what sign is on the Eastern horizon the moment you are born. The sign shows how you view the world. In Liz' s case, it is Capricorn. That Capricorn outlook is a very success-driven, stand in the spotlight sort of view. Capricorns climb. They may not be “born with a silver spoon” but they will end up eating with a golden one. Bet on Capricorns. Their key words are planning, responsibility and reserve.
You might also want to look at her Midheaven. It is that point directly overhead at her birth. Look for the segment which has an arrow pointing up between House 9 and 10. It is Scorpio (looks like an M). The Midheaven is how you let the world see you. Here is those words of manipulation and transformation, secretive, and plotting.
Elizabeth then starts out life careful and meticulous, able to shine in manipulation and spending other folk's money. She is a survivor and ambitious to rule. Incidentally, when James I came to the throne after Liz, remember what he found in the treasury? Right! Nothing.
Let's look at two planets which share the Eighth House with her Sun, Mercury and Venus. Notice they are in Libra. That is the symbol for the scales. Mercury is about communication and about mental quickness. Libra likes balance and will often jump onto the other side of an argument just to balance things out. Add to that Mercury is in the House of Manipulation and other's resources. Quick-witted and resourceful also an argumentative and slick negotiating pain-in-the-neck: was that our Elizabeth I? You bet! Ask the folks she loved and beheaded. Venus speaks of love but also of into what we put our value. Again, Libra. Libra and Venus live well together. Libra says that we can find partnerships very valuable. We can give some of ourselves to get something in return from others. Libras weigh things out very carefully in relationships. Did Elizabeth ever throw herself into love? I believe she did but she never forgot what was really important: the Crown of England.
Okay, time to find Mars, what she give force to. Find it? It is down in the Fifth House in Gemini. The Fifth House is about creativity, competition, fun, children. Mars sitting there means that she would be a strong supporter of the arts, of creativity. If she had kids (you probably already know I think Francis Bacon was hers) they would be very independent. The Martian Gemini made her very apt to spread all sorts of information. It would have to be rather her slant on things and may even be misinformation. That evasiveness was to help her out tremendously in negotiations with foreign suitors. That supporting the arts is what has given her such fame whoever wrote those Shakespeare plays.
Jupiter, the benevolent ruler, can you find him up in the 11th House in Sagittarius? The 11th House is about society and your part in it. 11th House Jupiter is Ruler, Leader, Prophet. Your call here. It is a very strong indicator of personal power in society. The Sag. is about teaching and inspiration. Her vision for her society she made happen, not by force but by being every inch the Queen.
The last planet medieval astrologers knew about was Saturn. It is over in her Seventh House, partnerships and marriages, in Cancer. Saturn in Cancer speaks of being shy and inhibited. Strangely enough, Elizabeth was a very private person. Not so strange with her family background plus all the nations sending guys to woo her. It breeds a seriousness in a child and a sense of responsibility about family affairs. In the Seventh House does not help her much for a choice in partners. It shows an intense fear of commitment in relationships. Although they would teach her much, partners would find Liz distrustful.
There are two other points which are really calculated and not planets: the Lunar Node and the Part of Fortune. The Lunar nodes are lessons we have to learn. I would not bother you with how this is found. Suffice it to say that her North Lunar Node (looks like the letter omega) is in the Seventh House and in Leo. This shows a quest for right relations, letting go of self-needs and paying attention to others. It also shows a need to develop her inner strength, being lonely, giving to the world.
Her Part of Fortune (looks like a circle with an X in it) is also in the 7th and in Leo. The Part of Fortune is where you are magickally blessed. In this position it shows that fulfillment comes from living as a shining example to others, avoiding distractions, power and honor abounding, giving to folks. I think she did all of those things.
What have we learned? Liz was scheduled to be the Big Kahuna all along? You cannot fight your destiny? Astrology may be bunk but it is amusing bunk? Nope, I maintain as did Paracelsus, “The stars incline, they do not impel.” What she did with herself was her business and that of her Creator. I only look at the stars and planets and say what I see. There is much more to this chart than I have bothered you about. Just thought we could talk about Elizabeth for awhile and wonder.
So if you are out there defeating the Spanish Armada, inspiring great plays and poetry, casting natal charts or just remaining a virgin, and you wish to forward these missives to someone, go ye forth and do so. Only do leave my name and sig attached.
By the way, if you want to see Liz's chart as she might have seen it, in square format, click on the address below
J. Ellsworth Weaver
SCA – Sir Balthazar of Endor
AS – Polyphemus Theognis
TRV – Sebastian Yeats
