Alex's Asteroid Astrology

Some asteroid names are resonant to particular job titles or accomplishments. In this article, we’ll examine three, two of which have been featured in the news lately.

On August 23^rd, Pope Francis acquiesced to a rather unusual request:  52-year-old Xavier Novell i Goma, Bishop of Solsona, Spain, submitted his resignation for “strictly personal reasons.”  In good health, at the prime of life (for clergy), the bishop’s departure raised eyebrows and caused speculation in sacred and secular circles.  Novell was elevated to his see in 2010, at age 42, one of the youngest bishops Spain had ever known.  It took the Spanish press awhile to smoke out the details, but on September 5^th the sordid story broke – the ex-bishop had left the church to cohabit with a 38-year-old divorcee, Silvia Caballol Clemente, with whom he had fallen in love.  Caballol is a novelist.  Of erotica.  Satanic erotica.  Well, at least she doesn’t have a penis.

I retrofitted the chart to August 23^rd, the date the Pope accepted Novell’s resignation, and was not unduly shocked to find the Sun at 0 Virgo possessed by asteroid Silvo (for Silvia) and Noviello (for Novell) at 3 and 9 Virgo respectively, spotlighting (Sun) the former bishop (Noviello) and his lover (Silvo).  This stellium is opposing that ongoing Jupiter/Damocles conjunction, now at 26 and 27 Aquarius, representing the impending doom hanging overhead (Damocles) during the period of their unholy union, for politicians and princes (Jupiter), of both the Royal and Church varieties, with Jupiter also ruling clergy.  Additionally, these form a very apt T-Square with asteroid Nemesis at 1 Sagittarius, that point of self-ruin and destruction.

Just down the celestial pike is a Mars/Mercury conjunction, at 15 and 19 Virgo, representing sex (Mars) with a writer (Mercury), and these oppose a cluster of asteroids Lust and Xavierbaptista at 16 and 21 Pisces, with Neptune at 22, all T-Squaring an exact conjunction of asteroids Clemente and Eros at 19 Sagittarius, filling in the details.  Who is the writer (Mercury)?  Silvia Caballol Clemente (Clemente), who uses just her first two monikers as her penname.  What does she write (Mercury)?  Erotica – from the root eros, “passion”.  Who is her lover (Mars), what does he do, and what binds them?  Xavier (Xavierbaptista – which means “Xavier the Baptist”:  nice touch); a clergyman (Neptune co-rules religion); and lust (Lust). 

Also embedded within this pattern is an homage to the resignation, with asteroid Church at 11 Virgo, symbolizing Novell’s ecclesiastical career, squared asteroid NOT at 18 Sagittarius, a general disqualifier.  This shows the effect of the affair with Caballol, a withdrawal (NOT) from his official role in the Catholic hierarchy (Church).  And just coming into orb with Mercury, at 28 Virgo, also opposing Neptune and Xavierbaptista, we find asteroid Lucifer, for the satanic spin on the plot.  I guess the devil really did make him do it.

There’s a third T-Square operating in the resignation chart, formed by asteroid Sylvia (alternate spelling of Silvia) and Venus at 3 and 8 Libra (identifying the female love interest and affair); TNO Salacia, centaur Chiron and asteroid Gomi at 6, 12 and 13 Aries (specifying sex scandal – Salacia; maverick behaviors and incurable wounds – Chiron; and the male half of the sketch – Gomi, for i Goma); and asteroid Bishop at 3 Cancer, pinpointing the lover’s job title.  As well, asteroid Caballo (for Caballol) at 7 Aquarius closely cojoins Saturn, symbol of resignation, at 8 Aquarius, both squaring a combination of asteroid Achilles (weakness, vulnerability, the inherent flaw which threatens to destroy the native) and Uranus (shock, controversy, socially unacceptable behaviors) at 5 and 14 Taurus.

Xavier Novell i Goma (born 20 April 1969, no time available) seems destined for his post, with a natal T-Square of asteroid Bishop at 26 Cancer, exactly opposed asteroid Gomi at 26 Capricorn, personalizing that role to himself, T-Squared by Saturn at 28 Aries, conjunct the Sun at 0 Taurus, bringing in career direction (Saturn) and self-identity (Sun).  Note that Pluto, currently at 24 Cap, came to its retrograde station in April at 26 Capricorn, exactly conjunct natal Gomi and opposed natal Bishop, for the total transformation (Pluto) in the bishop’s life.

A passionate affair with a female writer steeped in satanic erotica (Caballol is the author of “The Hell of Gabriel’s Lust”, among others) is hinted at by the conjunction of asteroids Lucifer and Eros at 3 and 11 Aries, and Venus at 12 Aries, with Venus exactly semisextile Mercury (writers) at 12 Taurus; the exact square to asteroid Caballo at 12 Capricorn specifies which satanic eroticist.  Note again the conjunction of transit Salacia, Gomi and Chiron with the Aries stellium, not to mention the exact opposition from transit Sylvia to natal Lucifer, pegging the lover as having satanic affiliations.  Also with Venus is asteroid Church at 9 Aries, suggesting Novell’s love for this institution; but the seeds of his renunciation are present as well, in the form of a close square to asteroid NOT at 8 Capricorn, with this same configuration repeated in the resignation chart.  It took the activation of Caballo, in the form of Caballol’s entrance into his life, to enforce this potential for NOT to cause a withdrawal from the church.  Transit Venus is just days away from opposing its natal degree, marking it at its low point in the cycle with itself – gee, d’ya think?

The lovers are further bound cosmically by the close square of asteroid Xavierbaptista at 14 Pisces and asteroid Silvo at 15 Gemini (with the Sun on their midpoint, semisquare to each), T-Squared to natal Mars at 16 Sagittarius, accompanied by Achilles at 14 Sag, asteroid Noviello at 22 Sag, with asteroid Lust not far off, at 5 Sagittarius.  This pattern is overlaid for his resignation by the transit T-Square of Mars/Mercury, Eros/Clemente, and Lust/Xavierbaptista/Neptune.

Also in the mix, a natal conjunction of Sylvia and Pluto at 21 and 22 Virgo, suggesting the hugely transformative (Pluto) influence Silvia Caballol (Sylvia) would be in his life; ignited in transit by Mars/Mercury and Lucifer.  Their connection seems fated, with natal asteroid Clemente conjunct asteroid Karma, at 7 and 8 Aquarius, the exact degrees of the transit Caballo/Saturn pairing.

The icing on this post-celibate celestial cake is that Pope Francis appointed as Novell’s successor a man named Roman … wait for it … Casanova!  Seriously?

Moving on to Asteroid Two, Champion. 

A surprise upset at the US Open rocked the tennis world on September 12^th when Russian challenger Daniil Medvedev bested superstar Novak Djokovic in three straight sets, upsetting the Serbian player’s quest to break a three-way tie and emerge as the winningest tennis player of all time.

Born 11 February 1996 (no time available), Medvedev’s Sun/Mars conjunction at 22 and 26 Aquarius sets up a potential self-identity (Sun) as an athlete or sports figure (Mars), and with asteroid Champion right there at 29 Aquarius, chances are he’ll do well.  Further reinforcing this personal connection to excellence is asteroid Medvedev, which at 26 Libra trines the solar stellium and squares Mercury at 26 Capricorn, conjoined by asteroid Daniela at 24 Cap (feminine form of Daniel, for which Daniil is the Russian equivalent).  Thus Medvedev conforms to the typical pattern of having one’s own PNAs in contact with Sun, Moon, Ascendant, or Mercury (which represents the naming function).

When Medvedev performed his shocking upset on September 12, 2021, transit asteroid Champion at 22 Leo exactly opposed the natal Sun at 22 Aquarius, giving the nod to his victory.  Just to confirm the validity of the win in real time, Champion is travelling with asteroid Medvedev at 14 Leo, itself exactly squared transit Uranus, arbiter of the shocking and unexpected, at 14 Taurus.  Filling out a Transit T-Square is Jupiter, which at 24 Aquarius is conjoined Medvedev’s Sun, promoting fame and a positive outcome; and asteroid Nike, named for the Greek goddess of victory, at 22 Scorpio, just in case we have any doubts as to the outcome.  As well, transit asteroid Daniel at 3 Libra conjoined Mars at 28 Virgo, providing a burst of energy (Mars) to Medvedev (Daniel), and also was exactly trine asteroid Victoria at 3 Aquarius (named for Nike’s Roman counterpart, and root of our word “victory”), itself conjunct Saturn at 7 Aquarius, for one of the most important wins (Victoria) in his (Daniel) sports (Mars) career (Saturn).

Novak Djokovic is no slouch in the winning department himself, with 20 career Grand Slam titles.  Born 22 May 1987 at 11:25 PM MEDT in Belgrade, Serbia (Rodden rating AA), Djokovic’s natal asteroid Champion at 20 Leo is inconjunct the 16 Capricorn Ascendant, squared the 14 Scorpio MC and exactly sesquiquadrate his 5 Aries Moon, affording a public image (Ascendant) of greatness (Champion) in his career (MC) and a strong emotional connection (Moon) to winning.  Natal Nike graces the Ascendant from 12 Capricorn, doubling down on the victory vibe, while natal asteroid Victoria at 3 Cancer is part of an assemblage of points clustered about natal Mars at 1 Cancer, suggesting athletic wins. 

Unfortunately for Djokovic, among the additional points with Mars are asteroids Nemesis at 4 Cancer and Daniela at 7, seeding the potential for Daniil Medvedev (Daniela) to act as spoiler (Nemesis) for Djokovic’s ultimate sports (Mars) victory (Victoria).  Further, asteroid Medvedev at 26 Pisces squares a Saturn/Uranus conjunction at 19 and 25 Sagittarius, implying a career (Saturn) upset (Uranus) from that quarter (Medvedev). 

Despite having recently had a Champion Return, with the transit body just two degrees past its natal placement, the stars generally were aligned against Djokovic, with transit Uranus at 14 Taurus exactly on his natal IC and exactly opposing the natal Midheaven, for the shocking upset; and transit Daniel at 3 Libra squaring natal Nemesis/Mars/Daniela, reinforcing Medvedev’s (Daniel, Daniela) power to foil (Nemesis) Djokovic’s athletic ambitions (Mars), however unexpected (Uranus).

Our third asteroid profiled is a CNA (Compound-Name Asteroid), Aunon-Chancellor, one of a recently-named batch of 27 released last month by the Minor Planet Center.  I’ve had experience before of separating a standard CNA into its parts and using it as a reference for either the first name or the last, but never when one portion was also a job title.  So this made for an interesting bit of research, which I will share now.

When thinking “Chancellor”, Germany is the most obvious country which comes to mind, as that is the title of its head-of-state.  Germany’s first Chancellor was Otto von Bismarck, who welded the country into a unified empire from numerous disparate states, under Prussian hegemony, in the late 1800s.  Born 1 April 1815 at 1 PM LMT in Schonhausen (Rodden Rating AA), Bismarck had natal asteroid Aunon-Chancellor at 9 Capricorn, conjoined the 8 Capricorn Moon and squared the Sun at 10 Aries, with asteroid Bismarck, a point named for him, at 13 Aries.  How dramatic can you get?  Aunon-Chancellor is also semisextile Saturn, representing the chief executive, at 10 Aquarius. Score!! 

[Interesting aside – Bismarck also had asteroid Germania, for Germany, at 19 Pisces, conjoined Pluto and Mercury at 16 and 21 Pisces, in square to asteroid Ferris at 18 Gemini; Ferris is a homonym of “ferrous”, meaning “of iron”, a very apt placement for the so-called “Iron Chancellor” who, through careful planning (Mercury), totally transformed (Pluto) his homeland (Germania) from a loose confederation into a major European power.]

I didn’t feel up to the task of confirming Aunon-Chancellor’s placement in the chart of every chancellor of Germany, but a few came readily to mind.  One obvious choice was Adolf Hitler, elected Chancellor in 1933, but later morphing himself into Fuhrer of the Third Reich.  Born 20 April 1889 at 6:30 PM LMT in Branau, Austria (Rodden Rating AA), Adolf Hitler had natal Aunon-Chancellor at 20 Taurus, conjoined an exact Venus/Mars pairing at 16 Taurus, exactly squared asteroid Germania at 20 Aquarius, and in a T-Square with Saturn at 13 Leo, confirming him as chief executive (Saturn) of Germany (Germania).  The connection to Venus granted the popularity for Hitler in his post as chancellor; Mars signified leading his people to war. 

Next up, Willy Brandt, who shepherded West Germany during the height of the Cold War, from 1969 to 1974.   Brandt’s story is unique, in that he was born Herbert Frahm, but adopted the pseudonym Willy Brandt to avoid detection by the Nazis after Hitler came to power, and it became the name by which he was later officially known.  Born 18 December 1913 at 12:45 PM MET in Lubeck, Germany (Rodden Rating AA), Brandt’s natal Aunon-Chancellor at 10 Pisces squares Saturn at 13 Gemini, again certifying him as Chief Executive, while also inconjunct to asteroid Germania at 9 Libra, exact on the Descendant, combining his career and his homeland, as with Hitler.  An exact hit to the Descendant is of course also an exact opposition to the Ascendant, and its power to influence how others see us made “Chancellor” a ready-made public image for Brandt.  Aunon-Chancellor is also widely trine asteroid Brandt at 19 Pisces.

Interestingly, both Brandt’s birth names, Herbert and Frahm, aspect his 25 Sagittarius Sun (his core identity), with asteroid Fram (alternate spelling) at 24 Sag conjoined and asteroid Herberta (feminine variation) at 29 Libra in sextile, while both names he chose for himself aspect Jupiter at 22 Capricorn, the seat of his fame, with asteroid William (basis for the nickname “Willy”) exactly conjunct, and Brandt in sextile, mimicking the natal PNA pattern of aspects.

Helmut Kohl oversaw the reunification of East and West Germany; as Chancellor of West Germany from 1982 to 1990, and the combined state from 1990 to 1998, he is the longest-serving head of post-War Germany.  Born 3 April 1930 at 6:30 AM MET in Oggersheim, Germany (Rodden Rating AA), Kohl’s natal asteroid Aunon-Chancellor at 2 Leo lies in a Grand Trine Kite pattern with asteroid Cole (phonetic match for “Kohl”) at 15 Sagittarius and the Sun at 12 Aries, opposing asteroid Helmi (for Helmut) at 10 Libra, itself conjoined asteroid Germania at 8 Libra.  This unites the office he held (Aunon-Chancellor) with three personal signifiers (Sun, Helmi, Cole) and the nation he led (Germania), affording an ironclad celestial “right” to the position.   Aunon-Chancellor is also sesquiquadrate natal Saturn at 13 Pisces, connecting it with Kohl’s career.

Finally, Germany’s current (and first female) Chancellor, Angela Merkel.  Heading Germany since 2005, Merkel announced in 2018 that she would not run for office in the 2021 German federal election, to be held later this month, but would step down at that time.  Born 17 July 1954 at 6:30 PM MET in Hamburg, Germany (Rodden Rating B), Merkel’s natal Aunon-Chancellor at 16 Gemini is an exact match for her Descendant (thus opposed the Ascendant, representing her public image), conjunct asteroid Angel (for Angela) at 20 Gemini, and squared asteroid Merkley (for Merkel) at 21 Pisces, doubly binding her personally with the office.  Aunon-Chancellor is also sesquiquadrate natal Saturn at 2 Scorpio, repeating the pattern of connection with the planet symbolizing career and the chief executive which we have encountered with all four of her predecessors profiled above. 

This random sampling of German chancellors would seem to validate the fact that asteroid Aunon-Chancellor, though its career-suggestive component is “hidden” within, does in fact correlate to the celestial importance of that job title, for those who have held the position, resonating in both a personal and professional capacity.

But isn’t that just what we’ve come to expect?