In the UK, July was all about the Olympic Games. Not only was this a chance for London to showcase itself to the rest of the world as a premier sporting, tourism and business destination, but it also offered leaders the chance to lift the spirit of the nation, currently depressed due to on-going economic doom and gloom, reigniting in Britons a sense of pride, hope and patriotism.
Since astrology is generally concerned with beginnings or inceptions, I thought it might be interesting to look at the chart for the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony, which took place at 9pm BST on Friday the 27 of July 2012 in Stratford, East London. This might be able to offer us some insights into what the Games could potentially do for both London and the UK as a whole.
Firstly, Aquarius is rising which fits with the fact that many spectators found this particular ceremony to be quite quirky with a lot of high-tech visual effects and modern references. At one point, the words ‘This is for Everyone’ flashed up on the seats surrounding the stadium – a fitting description of the universal and egalitarian Aquarian spirit. Sagittarius, the zodiac sign ruling sport, also happens to be on the Mid-heaven. As the most public place in the chart, this puts sport at the heart of the occasion and at the centre of everyone’s focus. Jupiter, ruler of the Sagittarius and therefore the Midheaven, is also found in Gemini close to the IC – the MC’s opposite pole, suggesting that the event has great potential to lift spirits at home, as well as give British athletes and businesses a chance to showcase their talents and abilities to the rest of the world. The planet Mars, ruler of the 2nd house of income, as well as the 9th house of international relations, is in Libra, the sign of its detriment, but nonetheless, also a sign associated with relationships and diplomacy; and in the 8th house of legacies, shared resources, debts, loans and joint enterprise. As the planet most associated with sport and physical prowess, one would expect it to play a large role in a chart such as this. Placed here, it suggests that the Olympics could help build up future business relationships and foster economic ties, but perhaps not to the extent that the organisers, or indeed, political leaders might have hoped for, especially given that Saturn, the great restrictor, is also in the same sign and house. Still, meaningful and respectable relationships could be formed, so perhaps it is a case of quality over quantity. The presence of both malefics here also casts into doubt the extent of the legacy that the Games will leave and suggests that London as a city may be left with a large bill to pay off for hosting the event afterwards.
The Moon, which often represents crowds and the masses, is in Scorpio in the 9th house – this again seems to be a bit of a mixed bag. Although situated in the house of foreign relations, suggesting that although the ceremony and the Games has the potential to win the hearts of the majority of theinternational community, it is also a highly divisive sign. This infers that people’s response to the games is likely to be one of either passionate love or utter contempt and dislike. And indeed, judging by the TV coverage, the response to the Opening Ceremony, was markedly polarised. Perhaps, in the long-run, this will have a positive effect in terms of publicity – it certainly makes for a talking point and is difficult to forget!
Interestingly, if we align this chart with that of the chart for Greater London (Midnight, 1 April 1965, London – see my article about this), we find the Moon rising in the 12th house of the collective, orbiting close to London’s Scorpio Ascendant, which seems to suggest that the whole event was very much in keeping with the nature and character of London itself as a place of extremes – one that requires a certain ruthlessness and survival mentality in order to survive it but a place that also inspires great loyalty as well as harbouring an enormous amount of wealth and power.
Equally noteworthy is the position of Uranus in the Games Chart, which tightly conjuncts Venus in Aries in the 4th house of the London chart, suggesting that the mood of the Games, with its offbeat and egalitarian spirit, matches the values and sensibilities of Londoners who are not afraid to say what they think and march to their own drum – a spirit epitomised by London’s eccentric current mayor, Boris Johnson and its many flamboyant residents, including the likes of fashion designer, Vivienne Westwood, former Harrods owner and businessman, Mohammed Al-Fayed and artists such as Gilbert & George. As a Sun Sign Gemini, Boris’ personality marches very much in tune with the Geminian London spirit – a dual city with two capitals – a financial one, based in the City of London, and a political one, rooted in Westminster. If we transpose the Olympic chart onto Boris’s natal chart,we find the Games Mars rising. This suggests that he may have a key role to play in forging international business links between London and the international community through the Games by fighting London’s corner, and, during the build-up to the Games, in driving preparation forward through his motivation and can-do attitude. Uranus in Aries in the Games chart, also falls very close to his Descendant, sitting in Boris’ 6th house of work, which reinforces the proposition that Boris has come to epitomise the Games and that he is well-suited to acting as international ambassador and spokesperson, both for the Games and for London.
If you’d like to explore a more in-depth analysis of the Astrology of London, why not visit myAstrological London page by clicking on the menu tab at the top of the page.
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