Dutch Queen Beatrix Abdicates

The Netherlands’ Queen Beatrix abdicated the throne on Tuesday, handing it over to her son, Willem-Alexander. He will be the country’s first king since 1890. Beatrix, 75, who has been on the throne for 33 years, announced her plans to step down in January, saying it was time for a “new generation” to take over. About a million people are expected to travel to Amsterdam for the occasion, and street parties will take place throughout the country. The royal family will take part in a water festival on Tuesday night.

The Queen was born 31 January 1938 at 09:47 am, Soestdijk, Netherlands [1]. There is a general tendency amongst astrologers to look at faster moving planetary transits or even solar returns to explain such events [2]. Such transits (and here I include those of Saturn) can form several times in one’s life and , therefore, cannot be  “sufficient” reason [3] for an event as important as an abdication.  It is for this reason that the analogy of a clock with its hour, minute and second hands is important to keep in mind. An ‘hour hand’ would be something like a Primary direction or secondary (day for year)  progression to/from  the Ascendant or MC or even a hard aspect from transit Uranus, Neptune or Pluto to the angles.  For the Queen we can locate two important ‘hour hands’.

Progressed MC opposite natal Neptune and Primary Progression Neptune opposite MC:  This can take the form of a psychological crisis that results in a feeling that you cannot go on. You may feel suddenly weak and ineffectual, even though others may not see any reason for this. You may no longer feel like advancing in your external social roles now, because you feel that they have become meaningless and empty.

Pluto transit conjunct MC: (This transit has been in effect for the last few years). It is an extremely important transit that affects the entire course and direction of your life. If you have not been fulfilling your true calling, Pluto will bring inexorable forces to the surface that will drive you out of your present position. On the other hand, you may leave voluntarily.

These interpretations from Robert Hand [4] are self-explanatory and apply perfectly to the abdication.

Having dealt with the ‘hour hand’ so to speak we now look for a ‘minute hand’ to tell us why it happened now.  The upcoming solar eclipse of May 10, at 19ta30  is conjunct the star Rucha. Delta (δ) Cassiopeia, Rucha, is a star on the knee of the Ethiopian Queen.

Ruchbah (or Rucha)  is a star of transformation and requires that something within our selves must die  in order to have that which is truly ours. It reveals the need to first relinquish any attitudes that we deserve something (generally a status in life) that is rightfully ours, in order for it to manifest--generally occurring with ease after such surrender.[5]

That sounds very much like a need for the Queen to abdicate. Finally the chart for the moment of the abdication [6] has Moon conjunct Pluto (on the descendant) square Uranus – a symbol for the end of an old order. But more interesting is the star Achernar [15pi] on the MC [14pi].

Achernar, Alpha Eridanus marks the end of the river Eridanus. A bright blue star, Achernar is the ninth brightest in the sky. Achernar indicates fulfillment, completion, integration, and rewards from what has been gained from the long and winding incarnational journey of life--or what ever sojourn we have been on. Achernar reveals we have paid our dues, we have arrived from the winding tumultuous river of life to the ocean of being.[7]

Incidentally, the star Achernar, which is essentially about the end of a journey, is conjunct the Queen’s secondary progressed MC [16pi29]. Both being opposite her progressed Neptune [18vi51].   The lunar eclipse of April 25 fell at 18pi58 in the draconic zodiac  activating the opposition and fulfilling the prediction of the first 'hour' hand mentioned above. Also Neptune opposite the MC (monarch) in the eclipse chart is a perfect symbol for the retirement or abdication of the monarch.  Finally, notice how 'coincidentally' the star Achernar active at the exact time of the abdication is also prominent in the primary direction!

[1] http://www.astro.com/astro-databank/Beatrix,_Queen_of_Netherlands

[2] http://astropost.blogspot.in/2013/01/abdication-of-beatrix-for-new-king.html

[3] Necessary Conditions and Sufficient Conditions    http://www.sfu.ca/~swartz/conditions1.htm

[4] Planets in transit; Robert Hand

[5] http://www.lunarplanner.com/LunarMonths2011/lunarmonth.11.10.26.html

[6] http://bit.ly/Ybp4nD

[7] http://www.lunarplanner.com/LunarMonths2006/lunarmonth.06.08.23.html