There is a beautiful woman I know, with kind eyes, warm heart and the embodiment of love through her gestures, ways she loves and moves. Her partner had once gone on a work trip to Paris, and while there he visited the Guerlain perfume house on Champs-Élysées. There, he spent hours smelling various notes to have a custom made perfume for her, capturing his love in a glass bottle. It’s no surprise. She has fixed star Alphecca brightly shining on her descendant and almost exactly conjunct her traditional seventh house lord and trining her natal Venus, goddess of love.
Alphecca holds within her wisdom of a starry love story, shining brightly as jewelled crown in the Corona Borealis constellation; and she is also very deeply connected to perfumes, flowers and has a love for beauty. As our lunar maiden the Moon is currently transiting Alphecca in our sky, let us today dive into the spiritual landscapes of this star, and see how her sweet eternal fragrance guides us into deeper love and wisdom.
Alphecca is one of the 15 Behenian stars, which you may read about in my Introduction to Fixed Stars.
And you may also read my essay on Sirius, the Shining One, the brightest fixed star, associated universal love and wisdom, feminine embodiment and her beautiful connection to wildlife and intuitive callings through travel.
For personal readings with me, you are welcome to browse my Offerings.
Alphecca is found at around the 12th degree of Tropical Scorpio. She is the brightest fixed star of the Corona Borealis, or the Northern Crown constellation, which in our sky is located north of the Libra constellation and between the Bootes and Hercules constellations. Alphecca is one of the Behenian stars, which are ancient magical fixed stars with history of myth and mysticism. We call these stars fixed, because from our perspective on earth she is unlike other observable celestial bodies like Venus or the Moon, which move depending on the season and day. In reality, she still moves of course, all stars move, but from our perspective these movements are so slow, as she is so far away, that it’s as if she is not moving, i.e. fixed.
In this way, fixed star had long been used by sailor to navigate the waters and seas finding their ways, as well as the ancients used the fixed stars for various things like in agriculture, deciding when to sow the crops.
In Vergil’s Georgics, which is an ancient poem from the 29 BCE, the rising and setting of Alphecca were used as indicators for agricultural activities, and particularly, beekeeping as Vergil described her in reference to her influence on bees’ behaviours.
The star’s position in the sky is tied to the timing of certain tasks related to bee management, such as when to protect them from the heat and when to encourage them to collect nectar. And when the Sun joins Alphecca in the sky, which happens around the 4th of November, this marks an important time for beekeepers as the key is to see whether the bees are thriving or just surviving. This is because November marks the beginning of the dormancy period for bees, so we need to assess the colony health and wellbeing and we need to make sure that they will have what they need for the winter ahead, such providing the adequate food stores, preventing pests and moisture build-up.
In ancient astrology, fixed stars were believed to have great mythical and practical powers. They often would be used to give insights on a native’s life story through their natal chart, or were used as talismans to bring good fortune, protection and auspicious events to humanity. They were love letters, holding hopes and dreams of all people who would look towards them at night. According to Renaissance astrologer Cornelius Agrippa, a talisman made under fixed star Alphecca “bestoweth the good will and love of men, and giveth chastity.” What chastity means in spiritual essence is purity and truth, aligned to higher values, virtue, ethics and honour.
The Corona Borealis constellation was originally named Στέφανος (“Stefanos“) by the Greeks, meaning the wreath. So while today we call her a crown, in ancient times our crown was more than a crown; it was often made of flowers rather than gold and diamonds. So Alphecca was actually the knot of the flower crown due to her brilliance and prominent position, and weaving into her story inspiration, wisdom, nature and love. According to Roman mathematician and astronomer Ptolemy, Alphecca is described to be of the nature of Venus and Mercury.
Ariadne by Arthur Streeton, 1895, via Wikimedia Commons. Here we see her as she is left by Theseus on island Naxos; little did she know, she was destined to marry a god.
To understand Alphecca, let us first understand her myth and story. Originally, Corona Borealis was the crown of the mythical Ariadne. Ariadne was a beautiful maiden, daughter of the Cretan king Minos, who fell in love with the hero Theseus and decided to go against her kingdom to save Theseus from a minotaur who was about to kill him in an enchanted labyrinth. To save the man, Ariadne used a thread to help him navigate and pull him out of the labyrinth, and then they ran away together.
The story then goes many ways, and there are many versions of it; in most, Theseus isn’t particularly grateful and eventually leaves her alone and heartbroken on the island of Naxos. There, she is then found and rescued by Dionysus, god of festivity, fertility and vegetation. In some of the myths, it is said that Dionysus revealed himself to Theseus, and forbid him to see Ariadne again, banning him from her, as Ariadne was Dionysus’ destined wife.
Whatever the paths may have been, Ariadne remained loyal to Dionysus as his wife, and they shared a deep love together. At their wedding, the goddess of love herself Aphrodite weaved Ariadne a crown of flowers, the most beautiful flowers of all, which Ariadne wore. The wreath or garland (in some other versions it is a garland or necklace) marked the binding of love between the mortal Ariadne with the god Dionysus, a binding of an eternal thread.
After Ariadne passed away, Dionysus was heartbroken, and still holding her wedding wreath crowned the stars above, for his love for her will eternally shine, and her goodness of heart and purity of soul may serve as inspiration for all humanity.
Alphecca is a star of benevolence, and she is easy to love. What earned her the star, and constellation, is her kindness of heart, and her fearlessness to love, and her courage to stand up against kingdoms for love. She holds a devotion, she holds a loyalty. And sure, she didn’t end up marrying the hero he rescued, for whom she herself had to abandon her homeland; she married a god.
In most version of the myth Theseus is quite horrific; in some, he even kills her. I am sure Ariadne wasn’t too pleased with sacrificing everything and even herself, just so that she is then abandoned by a man-child who isn’t even grateful. But see, dear ladies, no need to cry for boys, perhaps a man is on his way. A queen needs a king, not a knight.
What made Dionysus love her was the beauty of her soul, which reflected and resonated the spiritual abundance, lush gardens and wild nature that he ruled over. Flowers bloom because of love, and she herself was a garden of love and beauty, with devotional hands caring for those she loved, and nurturing with compassion, empathy, selflessness, trust and fidelity. She also held a wild nature within her; she had the courage of soul to be able to go her own path and the free heart to love whom her heart desired.
Parfumerie de guerlain, by G.Garitan, Présenté au Musée Municipal d’Art et d’Histoire de Colombes, via Wikimedia Commons.
1st century astrologer Manilius says that those born under Alphecca cultivate a love of perfumes and flowers: “The child of the Crown will cultivate a garden budding with bright flowers and slopes […]. His heart is set upon elegance, fashion, and the art of adornment, upon gracious living and the pleasure of the hour.”
Indeed, we see Alphecca’s deep connectin to perfume in the charts of natives, where they either are perfume makers, create beauty in all shapes, have perfumes gifted to them, or are very connected to their olfactory senses with an exquisite sense of style and elegance in all Venusian fields, whether art, jewellery, poetry, music or even architecture.
Some of the most famous perfume makers had Alphecca prominent in their natal charts, or created beloved perfumes, standing the test of time, during Jupiter or the North Node transiting Alphecca.
Christian Dior, whose greatest love was perhaps roses, and loved spending long time within the flower garden of his childhood home, was known for his beautiful fashion and also perfume making. He had Alphecca rising on his ascendant.
And then there’s Guerlain. The original founder of Guerlain, Pierre-François Pascal Guerlain, had Alphecca conjunct his natal Neptune in his fourth house, thereby founding the perfume house, a home of many generations to come, a dream shaped into reality. The house of Guerlain was founded in 1928 at rue de Rivoli in Paris, and during that time Jupiter had been transiting over Alphecca. And in 1940, when Guerlain opened their flagship store at at rue de la Paix in Paris, Jupiter was again transiting Alphecca.
Jean-Paul Guerlain, the creator of one of my favourite Guerlain perfumes, Spiritueuse Double Vanille, was born with Alphecca at sunrise and conjunct his Part of Fortune in the second house of our senses and Venusian abilities to form beauty into form, emotions into form, and of form, experiences that move us and inspire us.
One of the most renowned Guerlain perfume makers, and considered one of the best perfume makers overall in history, was Jacques Guerlain, who was born with Alphecca in paran to Jupiter. He is believed to have created over 400 perfumes, though we have over 80 come to us, and among the most famous ones is Shalimar.
Shalimar is a love story in a bottle. The exotic fragrance is believed to have been inspired by the by the love story of Emperor Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal and the Shalimar Gardens. It was first created by Jacques Guerlain in 1921, perhaps around the time when the North Node was transiting over Alphecca; and then officially into its current form in 1925, when Saturn transited over that same place in Alphecca, thereby giving it a form that would last for generations.
Alphecca always gives a love for beauty, flowers and adornments. She gives the gentle touch and ability to see beauty everywhere and make it into form for others too to enjoy, love and feel inspired by.
In their lush love gardens of wild flowers, Ariadne with her beloved husband god Dionysus, would spend long hours in embrace and tender kiss. They would play there, create and have fun! He is the god of festivities after all, and drinking too, so think sweet summer rosé! In this way too, Alphecca may often bring a natural ability to make good friends, whom you may make feel very welcome in your home and presence.
One of Alphecca’s main qualities is chastity, which essentially means purity. And purity essentially means truth, authenticity. Love is like a peeler. It peels the layers off our bark, our false masks, conditioning, selfishness, judgments, limitations, ego and greed and entitlements and illusions, so that we can release our true self, our sweetest most natural fragrance, our essence.
Love is the eternal virgin energy, which isn’t that she stays in solitude and never interacts with anyone; she engages with others and weaves and moves and transforms in and through, but, she doesn’t let anything nor anyone taint her true inner essence. So in the old days, an Alphecca talismans were meant to pull in true love, the right people and friends, rather than fake or shallow ones.
Alphecca is about true love, heart love, soul love. It doesn’t deny passion nor emotions nor romance, but she seeks to remind us that love is a knowing and of being known, a seeing and of being seen, not of flesh, but *through* the flesh.
It is about rising beyond the lower urges or temptations or lust, and seeking into the real depth, real connection. This is what wreaths are made of; a binding of true love and true connection. This only is what will keep shining as the immortal face of the beloved, as eternal stars. The eternal beloved.
Alphecca is also about loyalty and fidelity. But just like I shared about Sirius, this isn’t about blind loyalty – it’s about loyalty towards what matters to us most deeply and what we believe to be true, and what needs to be honoured. It is a fidelity towards what is morally right. And if it means we may need to renounce some status or royal crown and de-thrown ourselves from tyrannical kingdom that created harm in labyrinths, then this is what must be done.
There is courage in that, honour in that, virtue in that. And it is our responsibility as human beings to not just be human but choose and rise to be humane. It is this upholding to the right values that gives spiritual abundance and riches. Spiritual poverty and lack of human values and integrity are what keep humanity imprisoned and recycling old narratives. Alphecca reminds us to develop discernment and to remain loyal to our values – to do the right thing, even if it’s not easy.
Alphecca guides us towards falling into the trust that we will receive our heart’s desires. She indeed can make dreams come true, and pull in a fairytale romance that will not just be a one chapter love story but a life love story. There are desires deep into the worlds of a native’s heart that often burn for many years, and there is surrender and trust here to fall into, trusting the unique timing of your life.
There are waiting phases here in this constellation, and within the lives of natives of these stars. Ariadne didn’t expect to but on Naxos Dionysus found her. You must learn to wait to receive the heart’s desire and keep nurturing that which is sacred to you in the flame of your heart. There is balance here between both action and pause, and learning when it’s time to move and when it’s time to wait; and to also know not to just to give, but also to keep your palms open to receive and be held. A real mature man will know how to hold you, support you, raise you.
This star surely can attract fairytale romances to you, and what love stories are made of. The prince hunting all over town to find the one gentle foot that fit the glass slipper. Sleeping Beauty awoken by true love’s kiss; and as Charles Perrault wrote as the end of the tale for wisdom “may the maiden rather wait a hundred years than kiss a fool”. There is wisdom in waiting – for the right one for you.
This star can attract not only love stories, but all kinds of friendships and relationships that lift you up, that raise you, whether literally or metaphorically. And you yourself can be the one lifting others, raising them, inspiring them to be their better selves. You can choose to be a star for others, with human hands and human lips, speaking love and kindness and encouragement onto others, holding and helping others, and intending grace onto others and your family.
It is only up to you how you choose to use the wreath – what do you choose to bind to, what thoughts and what actions; what do you entangle yourself in, and what do you yourself choosing to weave.
Regarding love and relationships, Alphecca guides you not to cry over spilled milk. Thank your stars if you no longer need to kiss frogs, and thank your stars if the wrong men are no longer in your life, because darling, a king awaits you, and more beauty is yet to come. Losses may turn to gold in the most unexpected of ways. Some wreaths bind as imprisonment. Some people entangle themselves in things and relationships not good for them nor others; and they choose by their own will to remain entangled rather than consciously choose to make more conscious choices.
So remember the wreath. Remember Aphrodite’s hands. How she wove a marriage wreath binding in vows to strengthen and bless a love that stands the test of time.
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The beautiful cover art is by Louis Welden Hawkins.
