Articles, Charts & Analyses
» Introduction
• Harry
• Hermione: 2005
• HHr Synastry: 2005
• Book Series
• OOtP Specific
• Forecasting
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SERIES ANALYSIS-
THE CRACKLING OF THE DRAGON'S EGG:
THE BIRTH OF THE HARRY POTTER SERIES
by Elizabeth Hazel, Astrologer
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(Note to readers: the planets mentioned in this article are color-coded to match the planetary glyphs on the attached chart)
J. K. Rowling's journey from welfare mom to the richest woman in the world officially began on June 30, 1997, the day when Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was released in London. In just over a year, the book had leapt across the great puddle and was released in the United States on September 1, 1998 as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
The release dates of famous books function very much like birth charts, but they are referred to as "mundane" or "event" charts. The date, time and place of the release of the first book supply a seed "event" chart that shows the cosmic energies surrounding the entire Harry Potter series. This chart can be used for forecasting.
The chart for the Harry Potter series features a Cancer Sun and Cancer Mercury, along with a Taurus Moon. These signs are both concerned with comfort and safety, family, domestic security, and continuity. The Moon is quite comfortable in Taurus, her sign of exaltation. As might be expected, this earthy sign resonates to great wealth and financial growth! The Moon rules the sign where the Sun is located, and this watery sign is also concerned with the accumulation of wealth. The Moon and Mercury are tied together by a friendly sextile aspect, which indicates the wonderful initial response from children as well as parents.
It seems like one thing astrologers cannot get away from with this series is the zodiac sign of Leo – JK Rowling's and Harry Potter's Sun sign. Appropriately, Leo is the Ascending sign (or rising sign) of the series chart. The Ascendant receives the promise of longevity with a favorable trine aspect from Saturn in Aries in the 9th house of publishing. The planet Venus is in Leo in this chart as well, a placement that ensures notoriety, public attention, and the possibility of show business ties in the future.
Venus casts fortunate aspects to Mars in Libra and Pluto in Sagittarius. This adds the excitement of action-filled battles framed within a life-and-death challenge. Venus is also tied to the magical energies of Neptune and Uranus, indicating a series of cliff hangers presented in a highly unusual literary setting that challenges the imagination of the readers.
The Sun represents the hero, Harry, while Mars represents the battles and challenges Harry must face during his years at Hogwarts, as well as his enemies and fiercest attacker, Voldemort. Both the Sun and Mars are tied to Jupiter in Aquarius. The energy of this super-planet resonates on multiple levels. In connection with the series, the Sun -Mars-Jupiter configuration suggests controversy. The Harry Potter series has been surrounded with controversy stemming from Christian fundamentalists protesting the magical content of the books. Rowling has taken a cautious course to ensure the magical world of Hogwarts is not a pagan world – that is, a world based on the practice of magick and following the yearly pattern of Sabbats. Nevertheless, the members of some Christian sects feel that these books have the potential to lead young people into dire behaviors.
Additional and more pleasant controversies arise from fans awaiting subsequent books in the series, as Jupiter in Aquarius has received repeated aspects by transit since the series was first released. The series has provoked world-wide speculation and curiosity, as well as commentaries from individuals who attempt to use the series as a justification of their pet theories of childhood trauma, economics, terrorism, politics, child abuse, etc.
Another planetary contact of extended consequence is a square aspect between Mercury and Saturn. By the time The Prisoner of Azkaban was released, the Harry Potter series had matured beyond literature for the very young. The fourth and fifth books were also well beyond the scope of small children, and were clearly written for a more mature audience. Some may recall a similar transition between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy – the former book being written for children, while the trilogy was targeted at an adult audience. The difference in tone, vocabulary and content between Rowling's first two books and subsequent books is very noticeable. The Mercury-Saturn square indicates that the issue of maturity would affect the progress of the series, changing the core audience of the books over time.
A notable feature of this Series Release event chart is that it is actually a critical part of the Harry Potter series time line. The end of June 1997 is the final week of Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts. In the first five books, the final weeks of the school term accelerate into a dramatic crisis or confrontation. The same configuration that indicates the controversy surrounding the HP series in a "mundane" interpretation of this chart can also suggest a similar controversy surrounding Harry as his sixth year ends. One of the main goals of Lord Voldemort (besides immortality) is a political agenda of exclusion – a policy of dominance of pureblood wizards with the subjugation or exclusion of half-blood wizards and other magical creatures, as well as a harsh policy toward Muggles (non-magical humans). In her texts, Rowling reiterates that although the denizens of the wizard world are terrified of Voldemort, not all of them object to this political agenda.
As his sixth year at Hogwarts comes to an end, Harry could become mired in this political paradox. There may be support for Harry to eliminate Voldemort, as long as this demise does not cause any devastating political consequences or disrupt the comfortable (if uneasy) status quo that the wizard world has adopted since Voldemort was overthrown in 1981. Dumbledore has spearheaded efforts to contact the giants, goblins, and other magical creatures, and has advocated an adjustment of policies toward certain groups by the Ministry of Magic. In any real world political system, an initiative to change laws that support prevailing prejudices is always seen as a radical policy when first suggested. Attitudes and opinions are hard to change!
Yet changes – even desirable changes for good reasons – are rarely easy to promote in a static political landscape. There is more than a hint that Cornelius Fudge will be replaced as the Minister of Magic during the sixth book. But even if Fudge is replaced by someone with more egalitarian views, the new Minister will be hard-pressed to build a political coalition strong enough to make swift or drastic changes in the laws that apply to non-wizards. Ultimately, the passage of reform legislation may be the job of the character that is clearly the most political creature of the entire series – Hermione Granger, who is represented by the planet Venus in Leo in the series chart. Venus in Leo is courageous and bold in pursuing worthy goals. Since this sign is ruled by the Sun, Hermione is able to shed light on mysteries as well as plumb the strategies of hidden enemies. In fact - Hermione may be the hidden key to Harry's triumph, or may supply the hidden key, as the series ends.
(More predictions about the future of the series can be found in the Forecast article)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Elizabeth Hazel is a professional astrologer and tarotist with over 30 years of experience, and the author of "Tarot Decoded" (Weiser Books, 2004). The book has received high acclaim by reviewers and readers, and is described as "brilliant," "elegantly written," and "a classic in the field and required study for all who aspire to advanced (tarot) reading skills." Liz has written a wealth of articles on astrology, tarot, mythology and magical practice for a variety of publications, including The Tarot Journal, Llewellyn's Magickal Almanac, the American Tarot Association and the International Tarot Society quarterly newsletters, and the National Council for Geocosmic Research NCGR Newsletter. She is a life-long fan of J.R.R. Tolkien, and is quite charmed by the Harry Potter series. Liz is available for private consultations for a fee. If you are interested in a reading, contact me here and I can get you in touch with her.
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