BY HERNESTUS GILL
PRIEST OF ANTINOUS
The STAR OF ANTINOUS rules all homosexuals, and its position in a Natal Chart says much about the Astrological Nature of a gay person. To understand this Astrological Nature, it is important to understand how the ancient astrologers viewed the heavens.
The ancients believed that each constellation had different "regions", each of which had a special "flavor" or "nature" which might be different from other parts of the same constellation -- and startlingly different from other regions of the Celestial Sphere.
They also believed that the far-flung regions of the Celestial Sphere had specific properties, especially along the longitudinal lines (north and south), so that stars in Constellations above and below each other tended to have similar "natures" and were thus somewhat related to each other.
It is a modern popular misconception that the ancients named the constellations after certain animals or mythical beings because they thought they could see the shapes of animals or people in the star designs.
That's nonsense, of course. I mean, have any of you ever seen anything looking like a swan or a dog in the stars? You may pick out Orion and Ursa Major (what Americans call The Big Dipper). But have you ever seen any recognizable figures? Of course not. The ancients couldn't see any figures either. What they saw were Sacred Synchronicities.
The real reason for the constellations was explained best by the brilliant Fixed Star Astrologer Vivian E. Robson nearly a century ago:
"The original constellation figures are all traditional and have been a source of annoyance to modern astronomers, who have naturally failed to trace among the stars the slightest resemblance to the objects they are supposed to represent. To those actively engaged in a study of stellar and constellation influences, however, it will soon become apparent that these seemingly fanciful shapes are in reality a fair representation of the collective influences of the stars contained in them, and that the constellation of the Dog, for example, actually influences dogs, ridiculous as it may appear."
Hadrian wasn't looking for an outline in the stars. He was looking for a Sacred Synchronicity.
The stars in Aquila (The Eagle) tend to have the nature of Mars and Jupiter -- with Altair being a prime example of Mars/Jupiter star energy. The stars in Capricorn -- just below Aquila -- tend to be more Venus and Jupiter in nature.
Putting ourselves into the mind-set of the Ancients, we arrive at the probable location of the STAR OF ANTINOUS -- 20 DEGREES CAPRICORN. A New Star along that Celestial Longitude would be the Sacred Sign that Hadrian was seeking.
Hadrian and his court astrologers looked to this region for a celestial sign of the deification of Antinous. Any such sign would have to be located in this region between Aquila and Capricorn. Other regions of the sky were unsuitable. For example, a region heavy in Saturn/Mars stars (highly inauspicious) or, for example, a region studded with Mercury/Jupiter (good for trade and commerce) would all be the wrong place to expect to find a new star suitable for the Deified Antinous. The stars in the region of Aquila/Capricorn were ideal. For one thing, Venus has always been associated with same-sex love.
So when they saw a Super Nova between Aquila and Capricorn (at or very near 20 DEGREES CAPRICORN, as we believe), they knew they had found what they were looking for -- a star with a combination of Mars/Jupiter AND Venus energies.
New stars flare up all over the heavens all the time, of course. But Hadrian was looking for a celestial confirmation in THIS part of the heavens.
While there is surviving no record of precisely what the ancients felt the "nature" of the STAR OF ANTINOUS was, we know that the ancients tended to use the terms "star" and "constellation" interchangeably, so that the STAR OF ANTINOUS and the CONSTELLATION OF ANTINOUS most certainly had the same general "nature". Despite the lack of historical records, we can make a very good projection of that nature based on the stars in the same vicinity (such as Altair and Deneb in Aquila and some of the stars in Capricorn) -- all of which tend to have very similar Mars/Jupiter or Venus/Jupiter energies.
Looking at all of the stars in its immediate vicinity, it becomes clear that the STAR OF ANTINOUS has a Mars/Jupiter/Venus nature -- which would make it rather unique. Few stars have triple natures except for some truly unlucky stars which have Saturn/Mars/Jupiter or similarly very inauspicious natures.
Indeed, it is a curious fact that a lot (if not most) of the Fixed Stars have inauspicious natures. There are few auspicious Fixed Stars. "Lucky Stars" are almost non-existent in Fixed Star Astrology. For the most part, all Fixed Stars are a volatile mixture of lucky and unlucky properties.
The STAR OF ANTINOUS was no different, surely, and Hadrian knew it was a star of both highly rewarding and positive energies but also somewhat dangerous energies. He didn't want it to be a "nice" star. He wanted it to be a powerful star, befitting ANTINOUS THE GAY GOD.
There are surprisingly few books in the English language which go into more than cursory detail about Fixed Stars -- particularly the more obscure stars such as Antinous. But there are a number of truly extraordinary books in the German language, very old and rare books, which tell an amazing story about the star of Hadrian's Beloved. It is from these arcane tomes that most of the information below is derived.
Before consulting the Astrological Natures below, it is important to keep in mind that Fixed Star Astrology is meant to supplement or enhance Zodiacal astrology -- not to contradict it. Fixed Star predictions inevitably are all very exaggerated, as you can see -- foretelling either great success or utter annihilation. The idea is that a skilled astrologer can look at the position of a Fixed Star as a way of enhancing the astrologer's understanding of a native's personality.
Say, an astrologer notices that your Natal Sun is conjunct the STAR OF ANTINOUS. Then that means the star underscores or modifies the basic message of your Natal Sun.
For example, if your Capricorn Natal Sun is conjunct the STAR OF ANTINOUS, then that means the star takes the mercenary Capricorn edge off your Natal Sun and enhances the artistic and intuitive qualities instead. You might be interested in the Capricornian field of architectural engineering, but the conjunction with the STAR OF ANTINOUS might be a signal to an astrologer that your true genius lies in interior design or landscape architecture or perhaps urban planning.
If the Star of Antinous is badly aspected (all those predictions of death and suicide below), the predictions are meant to be seen as supplemental warnings. A skilled astrologer can judge from the rest of the chart how seriously these warnings should be taken -- and how (or whether) to inform the client of them.
Most importantly of all, the Fixed Stars never contradict any of the basics of a person's Natal Chart. They only provide additional information so as to enhance an astrologer's ability to give a person an accurate and detailed reading.
That having been said, Fixed Star Astrology ain't no place for sissies -- to paraphrase Bette Davis' wisecrack about Old Age. Hadrian wasn't looking for a "nice" star. He was looking for a powerful star befitting ANTINOUS THE GAY GOD.
THE STAR OF ANTINOUS
BASIC NATURE: Generally Propitious but Subject to Dangers
ASPECTS:
SUN IN CONJUNCTION -- Artistic predilection. Great talents and abilities of an inventive or intuitive natures. Valiant and courageous. Achieves success in all endeavors, but success is short-lived. Any fame will be fleeting. Native must beware of violent death (esp. in House I, VIII, X, XII).
SUN IN SQUARE OR OPPOSITION -- Squandering of artistic talents, dissolution, accident-prone, malingering ill health, plague, perils of all sorts.
MOON IN CONJUNCTION -- Great good fortune and success, honors, elevation to great heights, artistic excellence, harmony in love.
MOON IN SQUARE OR OPPOSITION -- Hedonism, monetary difficulties, a life of tribulations, broken relationships (esp. in House VII).
MERCURY IN CONJUNCTION -- Extraordinary artistic talents, particularly in music and literature, but also in all other areas. A natural-born poet. Generous. A gregarious and charismatic personality. Excels at communicating ideas through his art. Can achieve great fame through art, but such fame will be short-lived.
MERCURY IN SQUARE OR OPPOSITION -- Artistic setbacks and rejections. Contractual agreements end in lawsuits and financial losses.
VENUS IN CONJUNCTION -- Prosperity in all areas (work, love, friendships) but constant threat of losing everything.
VENUS IN SQUARE OR OPPOSITION -- Emotional excesses and instability bring about ruination.
MARS IN CONJUNCTION -- Great success and great power (esp. in House II) which is achieved at the expense of love and affection. Artistic achievement bought at the expense of others.
MARS IN SQUARE OR OPPOSITION -- Over-confidence resulting in take unnecessary risks, avoidable losses, injury due to self-induced accidents. Argumentative, stubborn. Has many enemies. Death by violence or suicide likely.
JUPITER IN CONJUNCTION -- Great good fortune in profession, wealth, fame, success -- but with constant threat of loss. Spiritual and religious authority and influence.
JUPITER IN SQUARE OR OPPOSITION -- Wantonness, vanity, gambling of wealth (with resulting losses/debts), making enemies with resulting threat of death by violence.
SATURN IN CONJUNCTION; SQUARE OR OPPOSITION -- Sanctimonious and arrogant attitude, social ineptitude, alienation of loved ones, financial ruin, ill health, broken bones, acute possibility of death by murder or suicide (esp. in House I, VIII, X, XII).
URANUS IN CONJUNCTION -- Great imaginative powers, artistic excellence, sexually adventurous, sudden unexpected boons (money, promotion), meteoric rise to fame and subsequent fall to obscurity ("one-hit wonder").
URANUS IN SQUARE OR OPPOSITION -- Sudden dramatic failure, severe accidents. Dangerous sexual practices. Danger of sudden death (esp. in House I, VIII, X, XII).
NEPTUNE IN CONJUNCTION -- Artistic temperament, keen aesthetic sensibilities, clairvoyance and mediumistic capacities, fervent spiritual faith.
NEPTUNE IN SQUARE OR OPPOSITION -- Addictions of all sorts (substance abuse, sex addiction, dysfunctional relationships), religious fanaticism.
PLUTO IN CONJUNCTION -- An artist of tremendous power and influence who wields charismatic authority over many people for better or worse and whose power and influence can collapse at any moment.
PLUTO IN SQUARE OR CONJUNCTION -- Disaster and failure in all walks of life. Tragic death at an early age.
