I once had a client, a beautiful woman, who had been told by a psychic long ago, that the name Michael surrounds the man she’d end up marrying some day. Indeed, she did. In her chart I saw she has fixed star Aldebaran in a beautiful alignment to her entire chart and conjunct her North Node of destiny also. Aldebaran is one of the four royal stars, and they each have an archangel connected to them. For Aldebaran it is archangel Michael.
But it wasn’t just about a “Michael” as a man, it was this archangel guiding her path of life, as our North Node shows the path of our soul’s evolution. Throughout her life she always felt connected to St. Michael, to his bravery and courage and integrity and fighting for what’s true in life; and even when she was a little girl, she would always feel drawn to his name. Each time someone would say the name Michael, she’d feel a sweet resonance, as if she’d even marry a Michael or have a child of that name. Indeed she did. And with such a powerful North Node with Aldebaran, she is the one who had become the guiding light for others also, and through her knowledge and discernment and clarity of sight, she would pierce through illusions and reveal light and wisdom to people through not just her work, but her very presence.
Another client of mine had fixed star Fomalhaut, who is connected to archangel Gabriel, in the last degrees of her twelfth house, and her first child is a boy literally named Gabriel. Along with her other starry alignments, this shows that in a time of her life when she needs hope or a divine message a Gabriel would give this to her. He was born when she needed more hope in her life, and when she was going through a difficult time health wise it was him that one day spoke a sentence, which ended up lighting up a great insight on what the issue was and how to heal herself.
There are many other stories. Another client of mine is a beautiful woman from Nepal who is a devout Buddhist, but when she was a little girl she dreamt of archangel Gabriel; since then, she’s always felt a deep connection to him, and she feels he is always beside her in her times of need, giving her a sense of comfort and spiritual soothing. While Fomalhaut is not conjunct any of her planets, this star connects in a special way to her beliefs, past life experience and what gives her a sense of home and peace, and reconnects her to her spiritual core.
Another client of mine has a special Aldebaran alignment in her chart, related to her voice in this life; and while she is quiet and more shy, when she needs to stand up for herself and for other people, her power of spirit comes through! She is a truthspeaker, and her voice is powerful and cleansing, it purifies and reveals light, clarity and truth; and people always feel trusting of her and protected by her, because she has chosen to come into the higher manifestation of this powerful archangel energy, and embody the honour and integrity, keeping people’s honour and protecting their trust in her.
The sky is an ocean, and holds many stories. To understand and interpret properly, one needs not just knowledge but also intuitive wisdom, because it’s a language of the spiritual. Astrology is a spiritual thing, non linear, and while sometimes at first glance you may not see the exact conjunctions or parans, it doesn’t mean a starry energy isn’t paving your path in some way, shape or form. And if you know how to ask the right questions, the answers will reveal themselves when you need them, when it’s time.
Fixed stars Aldebaran and Fomalhaut are two of the four royal stars; the others being Regulus and Antares. They are considered royal stars, as each is associated with a cardinal direction and marking the ancient solstices and equinoxes; and each of the royal stars indicates the potential for great eminence and success with its unique energy. Each royal star connects to an archangel: Aldebaran with archangel Michael, Fomalhaut with archangel Gabriel, Antares with archangel Uriel, and Regulus with archangel Raphael. Though of course, archangels are not bound to one thing or star, and are always with you on your path.
Today I woke up with a powerful feeling inspired to share on the archangels, and give you some examples with the stars through the lens of spiritual astrology; and it is no wonder, because when I checked, in the Eastern Orthodox Christian Church, our date today November 8th is the day of Saint Michael, and we celebrate not only him but all archangels that guide us and protect us.
So let’s dive into the worlds of Aldebaran and Fomalhaut; and whether or not these touch your chart, or you seek to deepen your knowledge, may this be enriching to you. Please remember that archangels are of course not bound to a star, and they always walk us on our paths.
The truth is that we all carry all stars and all constellations within us, within our inner spiritual and emotional wildlands; and if we can understand that all is interconnected and interrelated, that all holds within itself both itself and everything else, this is when the wisdom reveals itself and fall into the unity and essence of love.
A current image of our sky. You can see fxed star Aldebaran in the eye of the bull within the Taurus constellation; and there are many star clusters around there also, such as the Pleiades and Hyades shining brightly.
When Michael guides you
Fixed star Aldebaran is one of the four royal stars of Persia, and one of the brightest in our sky. We find Aldebaran in the Eye of the Bull in the celestial Taurus constellation; in the Tropical zodiac, it is currently found at around the ninth degree of Tropical Gemini. Aldebaran is connected to archangel Michael, chief of angels, and this star is also known as the Watcher of the East, connecting to the energy of spring equinox and new fruitful beginnings.
This is one of the most powerful stars in our sky because of the powerful energy of benevolence and abundance it carries. It has long been known as a most fortunate star and can give immense blessings – and the kind of abundance we are speaking of here isn’t just about material, it is spiritual wealth and spiritual strength and power. It is also known as a dragon slayer, as St. Michael is a leader and warrior of truth and protector of truth.
Here in this part of the sky we find the importance of integrity, ethics and moral compass. This isn’t about self righteousness – this is about the purity and clarity of truth, and holding ourselves responsible and accountable with our actions and decision making.
As above, so below. Aldebaran rules both soil and flowers, and at this time of year when the Sun travels through this star, we see some of the sweetest wild roses beginning to bloom. In Vedic astrology, nakshatra Rohini is the personification of Aldebaran. Nakshatra means lunar mansion, and there are twenty seven nakshatras – each a wife of the moon. Chandra was the god Moon, and he desired to marry Rohini, one of the twenty seven daughters of Daksha. Daksha was the son of Lord Brahma, the creator of all, who created the nakshatras also.
And so, Chandra desired Rohini the most, but Daksha said he must marry all daughters not just one. To please the new wives, Chandra would have to pay attention to all of them equally; however, as he was so in love with Rohini, he’d always spend more time in her lunar mansion. Rohini was alluring, magnetic, intelligent, witty, graceful, beautiful, charming, and he was absolutely fascinated and mesmerized by her. Eventually, all other wives became really jealous which angered Daksha also, and he banned Chandra the Moon to roam the sky forever and wax and wane in his longing for Rohini while never being able to stay only in her bedchambers.
Essentially, Rohini has long been considered as the favourite placement of the Moon, and it blesses natives with a lot of charm, beauty and allure. Especially if you have Rohini with your North Node, you become very magnetic to others, and have a path of beauty and spiritual wisdom you may choose to walk in this life; though you may often have other people quite jealous of you, whether jealous of your vitality or intelligence and natural charm and higher perspectives and ability to just flow and trust life.
Aldebaran is a red star, full of passion and vitality, and Rohini too is known as the “red one”. Being at the eye of the bull, Aldebaran is all about piercing sharp focus and ability to create anything it desires – having both the vision and then perseverance to make it happen with its effort, hands, and knowledge of cycles, temperatures and soil, i.e. knowing the right timing of life and being rooted in its spiritual core and trust.
Aldebaran is one of the magic stars – it holds deep magic, deep spiritual wealth, power of higher knowledge. It holds the power of creation. And it has hands – the hands to make it happen; and it has the courage passion gives us. It has the courage and fearlessness to go after the desires of the heart, to own what it wants, and go after it – and this becomes almost a divine act. What grounds it and gives it the spiritual power is the ethics and moral compass; because here Michael centers us and reminds us to act only with integrity and aligned to higher spiritual laws and ethics.
Aldebaran is a leader, as Michael too is a leader, but a great leader is one who is a great server. So it’s not about being loud and sparkly on big stages or the crowns or thrones – it is about service, and this is what makes true leaders. It is not just about “work” though, it is about a higher purpose, something that gives us meaning because we feel we are contributing to others.
There is a highly creative energy here, very fertile and abundant and poetic and artistic – because this part of the sky makes everything beautiful and sweet. Remember – the sweetest roses often begin blooming at this time of year in the Northern hemisphere. So when Aldebaran touches us, we have a natural ability to make things beautiful in life, and through this, to inspire others too to know how to see and recognize and appreciate beauty.
This is also a very spiritual part of the sky, and abundant in intuitive power and spiritual wealth and wisdom, and part of that may have to do with working with our senses. Deepening our senses and sharpening our senses, and through that deepening our experience with life itself, and deepening in intimacy. And it all begins with the physical senses – touch, smell … As we deepen these, all else opens and we deepen in intimacy and natural intuition.
When Michael walks with us, there is always a divine protection, but we need to align to higher ethics and do the right thing, to have values and integrity. Aldebaran is about the every day path in a very embodied way, so it reminds us that how we talk to others, how we treat others and ourselves, matters. It matters because this is what shapes us, and what shapes our destiny also.
It’s also about oaths – and here we need to keep our word. “My word is my bond” is this knightly honour, which in our modern world has become almost extinct, as most other virtues, but in the realms of Aldebaran keeping our word as honour and developing ethics are key. In many belief traditions and ancient astrology and astronomy, Aldebaran was known as the light-bearer or torch for others, so you here to use your light and wisdom to uplift others and nurture their own inner flames.
And when it comes to oaths, remember that it is also about keeping loyal to yourself also. Don’t ever compromise nor sacrifice your inner truth, inner needs and desires and integrity for shallow things or instant gratifications or temporary pleasures or to “fit in” some group mentality for validation. Keeping your “oaths” should never be at the expense of your own personal oaths for your wellbeing. First and foremost, your loyalty is to your heart.
A current image of our sky. You can see fixed star Fomalhaut in the mouth of the fish, below the foot of the Aquarius; she is often depicted as turned upside down in ancient astronomy books, thereby facing the North direction, or “facing the divine”. With her open mouth she drinks from the waters of the water-bearer Aquarius, and swims in her faith and surrender.
Fomalhaut, Mouth of the Deep
Fixed star Fomalhaut is known as the Watcher of the South, and connected to archangel Gabriel. In the sky this bright star is found within the celestial constellation Piscis Austrinus, or the Southern fish, which lies at the foot of Aquarius. Whereas the Pisces constellation depicts two fish swimming in opposite directions tied together by a cord or as I say flowing within one river, the Piscis Austrinus stands alone. The name Fomalhaut comes from the Arabic “Fum al Hut”, “the fish’s mouth”, the place where the border between inside and outside is opened. In the Tropical zodiac, Fomalhaut is currently at around the third degree of Tropical Pisces.
This part of the sky is often depicted as the fish swims west towards Cetus, the whale, but she is turned on her back with her mouth up towards the north and and is swallowing the water offered by the water bearer of the Aquarius constellation. Why would a fish drink more water? What good is water to a fish so deeply immersed in sea?
Well, it’s the mouth of the deep. Here we may often find some otherworldly quality, such as dream inspirations and art and creativity. Here we find the language of poetry, the non-linear ways and languages of understanding things that only the more subtle senses understand.
Fomalhaut natives need to be mindful of self delusion, illusions, believing in their fantasies, escapism, spiritual ego and addictions, because the waters here are too deep. The spiritual and creative realms offer many riches, but only if you have strong enough foundations and discernment to know how to walk these paths and discern true from false; only then, through the spiritual development we first do building the strong foundations, we may then witness the magic within these beautiful waters without drowning ourselves or being stuck there.
The fish stands alone in Fomalhaut, and here we find the spiritual initiation through the path of solitude, at least for a while. Spiritual paths are walked alone, and they are essentially paths of purification, letting go of our attachments, illusions, false masks, conditioned beliefs and precious ego ideals, and surrendering to the will of the divine.
This is also echoed through the Vedic lunar mansion that Fomalhaut is a part of, known as Shatabisha. Shatabisha is known as the nakshatra of hundred physicians, so it carries beautiful healing energy; however, its path to its higher purpose is to go through its inner healing and growth first. The dharma of Shatabisha often relates to healing, but it heals through revealing; in other words, to truly evolve it must first let the false masks fall away.
In its higher manifestation of energy, Fomalhaut has the ability to win people’s hearts through being a vessel for inspiring visions and even glamours that exist beyond our structured or conventional realities. This is why Fomalhaut often speaks in poetry, acting and essentially, inspiring the imagination. In a way, this star helps us find the hidden treasures from the depth of seas or our subconscious, both the material and mystical treasures.
This part of the sky is quite dreamy, and often like fishing – where we sit as Zen Buddhists on the shore, meditative, and we wait for the right inspired ideas to come. There is a pregnant waiting, a kind of mirror for the spiritual path of the seeker. Often these paths require of us some silence and knowing the power and wisdom of sacred unfoldings and the waiting phases. As such, Fomalhaut may often gift us with the innate understanding and connection to the unwinding processes of life, aligned to the trust and surrender to the divine and divine timing. There is a meditative gift here also – an ability to stay with the water around you, and witness the water within also.
The mouth, like the eye, are powerful symbols, as both connect us inside and outside, making us both sensitive and vulnerable to external influences. Both Aldebaran, eye of the bull, and Fomalhaut, mouth of the fish, are very sensitive with deeply worlds of intuitive understanding, but both also need to discern and be wise with their environments and people they choose to surround themselves with. Both are very creative also, and beginning manifestation and creation portals. The eye begins the process; the mouth begins it also. Vision, words. Both bring spirit into matter, and both stars may carry beautiful artistic potentials.
We see the blending of the creative and mystical with the connection to archangel Gabriel. As the Watcher of the South, which faces the North as the fish lays on her back looking up, Fomalhaut is positioned to witness the divine. Archangel Gabriel is the one who announced the virgin birth to Mary and Joseph, and he is also known as helping Daniel interpret his prophetic dreams. Gabriel is often depicted holding a mirror, and this beautifully reflects symbolically how the hidden mystery of God’s wisdom is reflected in us all.
Gabriel isn’t just offering us the receiving of insight or vision though, he promises “insight with understanding” so that we can discern the messages and meanings. So Fomalhaut isn’t just about receiving or getting lost in dreams and vision in the depths of sea, it is about “translating” these properly, and interpreting them appropriately. There is devotion and deep faith here also – as Mary was very devotional, and even though the message she received may have felt so absurd to her, she was still human after all, it was her deep faith, trust in God and devotion that guided her forward.
Fomalhaut may bless us with this devotion and faith and connection to the divine, in order to receive the wisdom of the mysterious depths of experience, which go beyond the boundaries of the norm or traditional. What we need to know though is that the spiritual realms may only be entered properly through discernment and groundedness, otherwise we get lost in mirage, illusions and delusions and fantasies.
So here in this part of the sky, we see the importance of our spiritual core and being grounded. It’s about being patient with yourself, as you learn to refine the movements between depths and surface of waves, learning to discern truth from fantasy, and tearing away the false from the real. I know people with this star often feel a bit alone and discouraged, kind of like an alone fish on shore; they may feel no one understands their depth or ways of perceiving the world. So if you feel this way, just stay patient with yourself and your path, and use these waters for inspiration and art making, and refining your senses. Look to Gabriel, and his wise loving ways.
What I love about this part of the sky is that it offers us depth of compassion and the ability to see what’s beyond the human eyes, to feel into something much deeper and perhaps even more real than the physical experience. We may be able to see the hidden treasures, which others just can’t; we find the hidden gems rarely found. And this in itself is a gift to be treasured within yourself also, because it offers you an opportunity for a deepening.
While it is a joy to be able to connect to the mystical, you may sometimes feel like not all others may be able to understand your way of feeling or seeing the world. And that’s okay. Some of our mystical experiences are just meant to remain sacred and private to us, not all is meant to be shared with those who can’t understand it. Some people build towers, others keep their temples nurtured in the wild places. So regardless of whether or not others understand that you saw the pearl no one else sees even when it is next to them, keep it sacred to you, keep holding onto that hidden treasure and beautiful mystical experience you had.
When we enter the mouth of the deep, whether by transit or natally or because we seek the wisdom and treasures of cosmic oceans, we may find the hidden treasures indeed. And when we do, we must hold onto them. Hold onto them even as you break through the surface of the waves, because you just never know who else might be sitting on shore seeking to learn about such depths also. Or perhaps you may hold someone who is in the waves, feeling lost or not knowing yet how to flow, and you may help rise them. You just never know. But what is known is that right people always find us. Our world is so interconnected and interdependent, and all is all in all; and we are here to hold each other, raise each other, lift each other up, this is how it all will flow in unison.
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Cover art by © Susan Seddon Boulet. All rights reserved to the artist.
