Coronation Chart

Did magic occur at the coronation of Elizabeth I of England? 

When 25 year old Elizabeth Tudor ascended to the throne on November 17th 1558, she asked her friend and counselor, Dr John Dee, to elect the moment for her coronation.  Elect is a fancy astrological term for choose, but with the intent to influence the outcome. 

A teacher, astronomer, astrologer, mathematician, alchemist, scientist and magician, Dee was as much a controversial figure in his own day as he is today.    Because of the diversity of his interests, many of his contemporaries could not decide if he was a genius or a crank. Historians are still up in the air today.  But Elizabeth liked him, because she herself shared many of his occult interests. And Robert Dudley, her favorite, had been his pupil. So Dee became part of an inner circle that served Elizabeth with loyalty. 

Historians of Elizabeth's reign often refer to Dee's election of a coronation date, but only an astrologer can tell you why and how he came to choose January 15, 1559.

Astrology is about beginnings.  The word horoscope means "observer of the hour." The idea is that the themes inherent in the combination of energies ( i.e the planets)  at the start of an event ( or a life) will carry through its lifespan.  Choosing a moment in time to begin an event is therefore a form of magic, a manipulation of the energies in order to to guarantee certain outcomes.   So what would be the "themes" of Elizabeth's reign?  That is the task Dee was given.  We will have a look and we can decide if he did a good job.

John Dee himself was what one might today call a globalist.  He was interested in navigation, cartography and expanding England's influence.  He is credited with coining the term "British Empire."  He was a man of ideas.  Lots of ideas.  Many were definitely outside the box, combining both the natural and supernatural  realms. 

Classical astrology consisted of seven planets:  The sun, moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.  They each have different energies consistent with their mythological nomenclature.  For example, Mercury, the Roman name for Hermes,  is about language, as Hermes was the messenger to the gods.  Jupiter as the largest planet is named after the chief god ( Jupiter is Roman for Zeus) and is about expansion and fortune. The astrological meanings given to the planets in Elizabeth's time were pretty much the same as they are today, so anyone interested can easily look them up.

The 12 signs of the Zodiac, beginning with Aries at the Spring Equinox, and culminating with Pisces, are the motivations that the planets move through, picking up differing expressions or flavors, in addition to their generic signification. .  For example, when Mars in the sign of Cancer the drive to action may be around issues of  home and family whereas Mars in the sign of Gemini might express itself through language and debate. We all know our sun sign.  What this means is that the sun, ( a planet in astrology) was in a particular sign at our birth, and that a part of us is now are "flavored" with that set of values or motivation.  

So let's imagine John Dee, given this task by the new queen, rolling up his sleeves and getting to work to come up with the best date for the start of her reign. 

The coronations for the Tudor monarchs usually took place within a few months ( They actually ranged between 22 days for Edward VI to 75 days for Mary I).  Given that time was needed to make ready, the two options for the sun's position ( i.e. the Queen herself) were Capricorn ( falling in Julian calendar December 13 to January 10) and Aquarius ( falling Julian calendar January 11 to February 9th).

The two energies could not be more different, as all signs that follow each other tend to react thematically to the previous sign.    

The Capricorn energy will inspire traditional values, honor the existing structures and hold a reverence for the past.  Aquarius, on the other hand, is future oriented. The symbol of Aquarius is of a youth pouring water out of an urn. It is an Air sign, which privileges the mind,  It is the energy of new ideas, and ingenious ways of looking at the world.  John Dee, with his quirky notions, his interests in expanding knowledge and in forging new intellectual and literal territory, was more of a Aquarian type than a Capricornian.  In fact, in his own natal chart that he himself drew up, his natal moon is placed in the sign of Aquarius, aligning him emotionally with this energy.

So the choice was obvious.  Dee himself had actually been imprisoned under Mary I, so it was time for a new world order.  He was not going to set the new queen up with a similar reactionary motivation.  Aquarius it would be.

 And Dee was lucky. Jupiter and Mercury were already in Aquarius at the time of Elizabeth's ascension.  Planets move through signs like clockwork and this is where they happened to be.  With this energy already on the table, adding the glorious sun to the mix Dee was assured of a powerful "stellium,"   three or more planets, together in a sign.  Dee could have chosen any day when the sun was in Aquarius but the day he chose was Sunday January 15th 1559.

That is because the next most important indicator of how things will turn out is the moon.   The moon is the "planet" closest to the earth.  It is the fastest moving entity and in astrology is given all kinds of power.  The moon moves through the signs very fast, about 2.5 days in each sign.  Its relationship to the sun and to the rest of the chart would be a crucial determining factor of the success of the life on an event.  

One can picture Dee looking through an "ephemeris," a ledger of the positions of all the planets and where they will be at any given time.  On January 15, a Sunday, the moon happened to be in Aries,  God's teeth!  There we have it!! This no shrinking violet of a moon!   More importantly, this energy is harmonious with the Aquarius planets, Jupiter and Mercury and now the sun.  Aries is a sign in the element of Fire, which complements Aquarius, which is in the element of Air.  Aries is also the first sign of the zodiac, the symbol of new life after a hard cold winter.  New life igniting new ideas.  That is what Dee chose with the moon in Aries.

And at 12 noon that day, the moon was  at 19 degrees Aries, exactly coordinating with Jupiter at 19 degrees Aquarius. And at 12 noon, Gemini was rising on the eastern horizon, making Mercury, the Ruler of the Chart.  And Mercury, remember, was also in Aquarius. John Dee had found his moment.

History calls the reign of Elizabeth a Golden Age, with its voyages of discovery and the expansion of the English language through Shakespeare and Marlowe. Is it possible that astrology set the stage?