Alex's Asteroid Astrology

As the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing begin to wind down, let’s take a quick look back at memorable moments from the competition.  A chart set for the opening ceremonies (8 PM local time, 4 February 2022, Beijing, China) shows an exact conjunction of the Sun with Saturn at 15 Aquarius, pulling focus (Sun) to acknowledged masters and top achievers (Saturn) in their fields, in a quest for professional (Saturn again) recognition (Sun).

At the periphery of the Sun’s orb is asteroid Olympia at 5 Aquarius, one of three asteroid indicators of the games, named for the residence of the Greek gods in whose honor the ancient games were originally conceived.  All three variants connect with the Sun; the eponymous asteroid Olympus is closely inconjunct the Sun from 16 Cancer, while Asteroid Olympiada, named specifically for the games themselves (known as “Olympiads”), appears at 0 Libra, exactly sesquiquadrate the Sun and at its station, making it an embedded factor in the period.  Olympiada turned retrograde on January 30^th, less than a week before the games began, and is still at its station degree.  Asteroid Winters at 3 Scorpio squares Olympia, identifying which seasonal set of Olympic contests will be highlighted, while asteroid Snowdonia is in trine to the Sun from 18 Libra, where it stationed retrograde on February 10^th, further associating the event with its primary medium for competition.

Also at station, and trine the Sun, is asteroid Champion at 9 Libra, the reason we’re all watching.  Who will come out on top?  Who will bring home the gold?  Speaking of which, asteroid Gold closely squares the Sun from 14 Scorpio!  Champion turned retrograde on February 3, the day before the games officially opened (though competition had already begun).

The competitive spirit and the will to win is portrayed by asteroid China at 3 Capricorn, hosting the games, conjunct asteroid Nike at 9 Cap, named for the Greek goddess of victory, which together square asteroid Victoria at 2 Aries, her Roman counterpart.  This forms a T-Square with Olympiada and Champion.  Also here are Mars at 7 Capricorn, ruling athletes and competition generally, as well as Venus at 11 Cap, emblematic of the adoration and accolades heaped upon the victors.  As of this writing (February 17), the top medal earners are Norway, Germany and the US, and it’s no surprise to find these countries represented in the pattern.  Asteroids Norge (Norwegian for Norway) and Germania (for Germany) at 8 and 11 Capricorn respectively, conjoin China/Nike/Mars and square Victoria, while asteroid America (for the US) opposes from 5 Cancer, creating a Grand Cross.  This brings the top three medaling countries into direct proximity not just with the venue for the games (China) but also each other, and the principle of victory.  Another cosmic nod to the seasonal sports being highlighted is asteroid Schneeweis (German for “white snow”) at 2 Cancer, opposing China.

Asteroid Peking (the former, Westernized spelling of Beijing, the location for the games) is in a somewhat more problematic stance than that of the host country.  At 21 Sagittarius, Peking broadly conjoins the 12 Sagittarius IC of the games, establishing Beijing as foundational in its existence.  But it also squares Neptune at 21 Pisces exactly, suggesting some connection to drugs or doping.  Peking further conjoins asteroid Panacea, named for the Greek goddess of medications, legal and otherwise, at 29 Sag.  The Sun’s square to Uranus at 10 Taurus reinforces the sense of a controversy or scandal ensuing from this theme, and in fact, we have one.

That would be in the person of Kamila Valieva, the 15-year-old Russian phenom figure skater who failed a drug test in December but was allowed to compete for the ROC (Russian Olympic Committee – Russia itself is banned from the games, but its athletes are permitted this face-saving device allowing them to participate) regardless.  Valieva tested positive for a banned heart medication, one boosting endurance and performance, which she alleges to have taken by mistake; the IOC is investigating. 

The inclusion of Valieva in the meantime has cast a pall upon the skating competition generally, as any events in which she participates as a top finisher will not be formally awarded until after her case has been adjudicated, and the winners will not receive medals in real time after their victories, but token “torches” instead.  Confirming Kamila Valieva as the focus of this doping controversy is asteroid Camilla (alternate spelling) conjoined Peking from 18 Sagittarius and squared to Neptune; and asteroid Valyaev (closest to Valieva), which at 21 Pisces conjoins Neptune exactly.  Asteroid Valentine, for the heart medication, appears at 13 Capricorn, conjunct Nike and opposed Olympus, with asteroid Kamil, a shortened form of Kamila, also here at 19 Cap, tying her personally to the scandal, and putting at risk her Olympic (Olympus) victory (Nike) in some way related to the heart (Valentine).

Born 26 April 2006 (no time available), Kamila Valieva’s nativity sports three asteroids at station which effectively describe the current contretemps.  Asteroid Russia turned retrograde from 24 Sagittarius the day she was born, establishing her homeland as a pivotal element of her biography, with her as its champion.  Asteroid Valentine at 29 Sagittarius conjoins Russia, and establishes the heart medication as another critical element in her story; it turned retrograde three days before her birth.  The placement of both these astride the Galactic Center at 27 Sagittarius virtually guarantees global notice and attention, for good or ill.  And note how natal Valentine exactly conjoins Panacea for the 2022 Olympic Games, underscoring the heart (Valentine) medication (Panacea) angle.

Finally, asteroid Victoria at 14 Virgo establishes her as a winner, turning direct a week later.  Victoria also opposes asteroid Kamil at 18 Pisces, personally identifying her with the principle of winning, and appears at the Apex of a Yod, or Finger of Destiny, with inconjunct aspects to asteroids China at 13 Aquarius and Olympia at 16 Aries, signaling out the Olympic Games in China as a pivotal moment of fate for her.  Victoria also squares asteroid Camilla at 11 Gemini, doubling down on the personal connection, while Olympia squares Mars with Peking at 7 and 11 Cancer, specifying the exact Chinese city (Beijing) hosting the athletic competition (Mars). 

Her winning vibe and celebrity are reinforced by the 6 Taurus Sun opposing Nike with Jupiter at 11 and 15 Scorpio.  Squares to Saturn at 4 Leo and asteroid China at 13 Aquarius combine career energies with a focus on China, her Olympic debut, to create a Grand Cross.  The doping issue is underscored by a T-Square of Neptune at 19 Aquarius, ruling drugs, opposed asteroid Olympia at 26 Leo, with asteroid Olympiada at 22 Taurus on the fulcrum.  In the Olympic chart, natal Mars is exactly opposed by transit Mars, depicting acting (Mars) against (opposition) her athletic performance (Mars again).

The promise of Olympic victory was fulfilled with a team win for the Russian skaters on February 7^th, Valieva leading her teammates to the gold.  But on the 17^th, she stumbled several times in her individual performance, resulting in a tearful fourth-place finish.  If we take another deep dive into that natal Yod, we see asteroid NOT, a general disqualifier, in square to the Apex Victoria from 17 Sagittarius, modifying its effects, while China is also accompanied by Lacrimosa at 12 Aquarius, the Latin term for weeping or tears.  By transit Lacrimosa appears at 22 Pisces, closely conjoined the exact Neptune/Valyaev pairing at 21 Pisces, squared Camilla/Peking at 18 and 21 Sagittarius.  This reinforces the sense that the 2022 Beijing Olympics would be a source of sorrow, with limited success.

Another skater cutting a deep figure eight into the ice of celebrity is American Nathan Chen, who redeemed an earlier disappointing performance at the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang.  Chen, a three-time World Champion, took the gold this year in the men’s singles figure skating competition, with asteroid Nathaniel at 9 Libra, trine the Sun, exactly conjunct Champion, and at station, having turned retrograde January 28^th, embedding Nathan into the fabric of the time.  Nathan/Champion is at the fulcrum of a T-Square with America and China/Nike/Mars, combining the country he represents with the host country and winning an athletic competition. Asteroid Chen Jiageng, closest to Chen, appears at 23 Aquarius, widely conjoined the Sun, and broadly squared asteroid Gold.

Born 15 May 1999 (no time available), Nathan Chen also sports a stationary Victoria, which at 29 Virgo turned direct three days after his birth.  Victoria opposes asteroid America at 6 Aries, the country he represents in his victories.  With Victoria is asteroid Gold at 24 Virgo, also stationary, turning direct two days after his birth.  Gold is exactly trine the 24 Taurus Sun, which exactly opposes asteroid China at 24 Scorpio (thus Gold is exactly sextile this point), establishing where he would reap his Olympic gold medal, and the central role (Sun aspects) these places would have in his life.

His standing as a winning Olympian generally is seen in a T-Square of asteroid Champion at 5 Pisces opposed asteroid Olympia at 12 Virgo, with asteroids Nike, Nathaniel and Olympus on the fulcrum at 5, 12 and 15 Gemini respectively.  Natal Pluto at 9 Sagittarius creates a Grand Cross, while Mars at 27 Libra opposed Jupiter at 21 Aries speaks to his status as a celebrity athlete.