Gryphon Astrology Blog

Reading about Steve Irwin’s untimely death by stingray got me thinking about the classical astrological rulership for stingrays. In astrology, everything is ruled by at least one of the planets. Many things are ruled by more than one planet; depending on the context. For example, roses are ruled by Mars because they have thorns and are red, but by Venus because they smell great.

So, why are planetary rulerships so important? Lots of reasons, but here is a specific one: if you look at Steve Irwin’s solar return chart, you can see that the Sun was squared by Mars. Stinging is a classic Mars attribute. Everything piercing, or that draws blood is Martial by nature. The fact that Steve Irwin got stung through the heart is important; the Sun rules the heart. How were the sting and the heart connected? By the difficult and tension-producing (to say the least here) square aspect.

In this particular case, since Steve Irwin unfortunately experienced the stinging part of the normally unassuming and easy-going stingray, it was symbolized by Mars. In a more benign situation, where for example, Steve Irwin spent a long time doing a documentary on stingrays and marine life in general, we might see the marine world symbolized by the wet and squishy Moon. The Moon, of course, rules all wet things, including fish and underwater critters.

Bookmark to