Karina Lafayette – July 10th 2022
Kings used to lead the way. It didn’t matter if you agreed with them, they were there for a reason and had to be listened to, unless you didn’t mind being charged with treason. The worst thing you could do is question them. Because they were appointed by God, or at least, that’s what they wanted you to think. Sure, over time there were some revolutions that led to independence in America and other places, resulting in governments and what not, but kings were loved the most. Even today, many politicians still behave more like kings than actual leaders.
Once the camera was invented, we soon had movie stars to swoon over. Even if they were just like the rest of us, or actually really awful people (Woody Allen, anyone?), it didn’t matter. We could make excuses for them. Separate the art from the artist, right? Whenever an award show was underway, be it the Oscars or Grammys, people couldn’t wait to watch the “stars” in their best outfits. Only a select few people mattered in the world and no one asked why. As long as you were attractive, talented, and had a special name, people thought you were special. Looking back, all that is hard to believe when you consider the anger going on today. Even Teen Vogue magazine, that once had Nick Lachey and Jessica Simpson on the cover, now does political pieces. Meanwhile, most celebrities are caring less and less about awards, and more about discussing things mental health and being seen as good role models. The change has been slow but not lost on anyone.
Regulus is a fixed star that entered the sign of Leo in 156 B.C. Around this period, Emperor Julius Caesar was born, and fast forward a little less than two centuries later, the Church began to flourish, replacing paganism with modern organized religion. The first King of all of England, Athelstan, stepped into power in 925 and defeated the last Vikings, thus beginning the line of royals as we know them today, as well as endless amounts of colonialism, misogyny, genocides, inequality and erasure of cultures in the West.
On one hand, it was great to learn to develop various cultures and identities, but unless you fit into a box, you didn’t matter. This is where the shadow side of Leo comes to play, the side that’s hungry for leadership, and that will stop at nothing to get it.
And just like at any high school, there had to be cliques. Lower, upper, and middle class. Attractive and unattractive. Popular and unpopular. Ruled by the sun, Leo naturally brings light wherever it goes but if not careful, it can also cast a shadow and make others feel left out. While some don’t mind being admirers, others simply want to be acknowledged, just for who they are. Virgo on the other hand would rather be acknowledged for doing something, instead of just for the sake of it, and that’s part of the shift with Regulus. We’re no longer satisfied with just existing. We’re looking for meaning.
That isn’t to say Leo can’t have meaning. After all, it is the sign of creativity, fun, and romance. It’s also the one to give us hope in the darkness, to remind us to continue singing, painting, and laughing even when the world is falling apart. It gives us self-confidence to really turn up. However, now that Regulus is in Virgo, it isn’t enough to paint and sing, there’s work to be done, and a lot of it has piled up because we thought there would be time later. We thought we could wait till later to fix the environment, the economy, and everything, and now there’s so much to catch up on, and the clock is ticking. Like the White Rabbit, we’re a bit late. Virgo as the mutable, Mercurial sign, reminds us that there’s a time and a place for everything. You can have fun, after crossing off that to-do list, because even the prince grows up eventually.
Regulus is one of the brightest stars in the sky and is considered the heart of the lion. If you have personal planets, the ascendant or even the Midheaven conjunct Regulus, you’re seen as brave and inspiring, and have the ability to go farther than your peers, but you can also come across as overly ambitious or stuck up. You have strong direction in life and feel called to do something. Contrary to popular belief, Fixed Stars are only known as fixed because they take ages to change from one sign to the next, but don’t be fooled, they do change. Early years of Regulus in Leo were marked by pride and accomplishments, as much as they were marked by destruction and leaders ruling with an iron fist. As much as Leo has many great qualities, compromise isn’t really one of them.
Donald Trump literally has his Ascendant conjunct Regulus! Because Leo rules the Solar plexus (the ego), with Regulus in this sign, society became more individualistic, like a teenager rebelling against their parents. Another celebrity with Regulus on the Ascendant is Drake. Even if you don’t like him, he’s pretty much everywhere. However, in recent years him and Trump don’t have as much luster and appeal as before, which you can probably credit to Regulus entering Virgo. And then of course, there’s Madonna, literally known as the Queen of Pop, who’s a Leo. While her sun has too wide an orb to be conjunct Regulus, she does have the out-of-sign conjunction to Pluto, the planet of power. This year, fellow Leo actress Viola Davis stars in the movie The Woman King, and her Mercury is conjunct Regulus.
Regulus first entered Virgo in September 2011. For anyone who doesn’t remember, the Occupy Movement happened that year, beginning in Zuccotti Park in New York on September 17th. It was also the same year we had Jupiter in Aries, the sign of new beginnings (although Jupiter entered Taurus by June). The goal of the Movement was to highlight corruption from the banks and the lack of fairness toward the 99% (a.k.a. the majority). For months, people camped out in banking districts all over the world and spent hours discussing ways to make things better. It was the first time in years that people collectively thought about asking those questions.
Before that, you were pretty much ostracized for asking any questions at all. Around this period, there were also student strikes in Chile, Quebec and many areas, where students were demanding better access to higher education. Not to mention, there was the Arab Spring, which started in Tunisia and later spread in many countries in the Middle East such as Egypt, Bahrain and Syria. A few years later, the #metoo Movement took center stage. Fast forward a little more than a decade later, while it seems that things have only gotten worse in the world, it’s only because we’re more aware of the work that need to be done. Nothing has actually changed.
And after all, Virgo rules over the sixth house of service. Whatever you have in the sixth, this shows your day-to-day routine, how you behave at a job, and can even give a glimpse into your health. It also shows how well you cooperate with people. The sign in the sixth is also one we have a strong affinity with, because they push you into becoming a better person- of course not without causing frustration. If you notice, frustration has become a common theme since Regulus entered Virgo. Before that, life was simple. It was still hard, but we were more tolerant of it. People were satisfied with having entertainers and leaders. We believed they were better than us because they had luxury, while the rest of the people served them. They sold us a dream most will never reach and wore crowns that weren’t even deserved. Red carpets, trophies and shiny hair. And while all that is good, Virgo isn’t satisfied with any of it.
Virgo needs purpose, support, and most of all, to constantly reinvent themselves. They’re always looking to be useful in some way and really want the world to be a better place. It’s not all about, me, me, me. Self-refinement is where it’s at. Pink has no two albums that sound alike and she has a stellium in Virgo. She’s always changing. Beyond music, she’s vegan, an animal rights activist, and takes no issue calling people out on their b.s. And as a matter of fact, in 2012, not long after Regulus entered Virgo, she released a song called “The King is Dead but the Queen is Alive”. Coincidence or not, it’s a bit of an indirect nod to patriarchy’s slow downfall and the Virgin taming the lion, like we see in the Strength card.
Even as a Virgo rising, I tend to reinvent myself regularly. The same can be said for many Virgo artists.
While Regulus is in Virgo, it teaches us to sharpen our pens and never be complacent, and that most of all, the world can do a lot better. Online classes, apps like Duolingo that teach you new languages, and the wellness industry, all started booming thanks to Regulus’ transition. We’re becoming more conscious of the foods we eat, how we treat nature, and have a bit more compassion toward people who need support. Even how we express ourselves is a lot more flexible. As a masculine fire sign, Leo loves the idea of Prince Charming, saving his Princess from a tower. The only problem is the Princess can save herself now, so where does that put him? He isn’t familiar with sharing the spotlight. Virgo is dualistic, dark and light, masculine and feminine, and as an earth sign, can create her own abundance. She can do it all and then some, and she doesn’t need anyone unless she sees a purpose for that relationship. If the Prince wants to be a king, he’s gonna have to level up and make himself purposeful.
The best example of how Regulus has changed is by looking at Prince Harry. Prince Harry chose to separate from his duties with the monarchy in order to tend to his wife Meghan and their family. He was actually accused of being selfish, but let’s face it, even before he was already considered the rebel of the family, and Prince Harry just so happens to be a Virgo. He’s the black sheep because the Royals are inherently Leo and Cancer energy, honor and family. Queen Elizabeth is a Taurus with moon in Leo. Prince Charles is a Scorpio with Leo rising, and both his Mars and Jupiter are in the fifth house- the fifth house naturally correlating to Leo. Late Princess Diana was a Cancer with North Node in Leo and a fifth house Venus. While Prince William is a double Cancer, his Mercury is in the fifth house. Duchess Kate is a fifth house Capricorn with Leo rising. It might also be worth mentioning that Kate and William got married in April 2011, just a few months before Regulus entered Virgo. Who knew they would be the last marker of tradition as we know it. William and Harry, a split between the old ways and the new.
Prince Harry is one of the only earth signs in his family (triple earth with Virgo sun, Taurus moon, and Capricorn rising), and yet he’s the one to create the biggest change. Never really caring for recognition, he spent some time in the military and later began doing charity work. Despite never really bothering anyone, the media always has something to say about him, so naturally, they didn’t like his choice in partners. Meghan isn’t even British, how often does that happen? The irony is that her sun, Mercury and North Node are in Leo, which makes her as royal as they come. And yet, because she doesn’t fit the part or look like their idea of royalty, that doesn’t count, which goes to show the close-minded nature Regulus can have. Regulus is an ideal but it doesn’t make it obtainable. It represents the most perfected version of whatever sign its in, and whenever someone is influenced by it, it can feel isolating, like there’s too many expectations. If someone is lucky to have a planet conjunct Regulus, they can be blessed with abundance and accolades, but the crown can also feel heavy. Now in Virgo, at least there’s room to make mistakes without falling off the throne, and as far as we know, even if Harry will never be king by title, he already is a king because he lives by the principles. He doesn’t need anyone’s approval. Just like Meghan is already a queen.
Another important distinction between Regulus in Leo and Regulus in Virgo, is how difficult it’s become to impress people. Before all you had to do was show up with flowers and charms, and now you need to add contribution to be a part of someone’s life. And obviously, Leo contributes a lot already, they can be extremely hardworking, at least when they truly want something. Doesn’t a lion always chase their prey? But really, they just rather sun bathe if they have a choice. A tendency toward vanity aside, one thing a Leo does best is remind people of how special they are, which I think we tend to forget nowadays. Like it or not, the ego is still necessary- otherwise you wouldn’t know how to stand up for yourself. However, I do think that holding onto celebrity culture as is and the constant need for external validation- especially with social media, will only continue to cause more harm than good. It’s okay to want that excitement when it comes to our favorite people, just remember that they’re only people, and that social media isn’t real life.
It’s also obvious that one of the reasons why the transition of Regulus from Leo to Virgo has been so hard, is because Leo is a fixed sign, and fixed signs don’t like change. And guess what, most people don’t like change either. Why would a lion change position when they’re so good at being on top? This is where their insecurities surprisingly show up. Despite coming across as confident, Leos tend to be very self-conscious. They don’t like the idea of anyone doubting them and will cover that up by putting on a show. So deep down, the idea of giving up some power feels like we failed, when really, it doesn’t have to be so bad. It just means more people can decide for themselves what they want. Allowing others a chance on stage, doesn’t take away from your glory.
Probably one of the best things about Regulus in Virgo, is that men are starting to be praised for gentler qualities, instead of always being expected to act strong and tough. Chilvary is not dead completely, it’s just the idea of it that’s shifting. If you want to be chilvarous, its best to do it to be a good person, not because you expect anything. Men are also allowed to cry, show emotion, and have friendships without the same judgment as before. Women on the other hand are allowed to take the lead a bit more, helping to even out the paying field so everyone gets their turn. It’s obvious some people don’t like that, and want things to go back to the way they were, but luckily, Regulus in Virgo is here to stay for a very, very long time (literally centuries to come), so it’s not like we have a choice other than to accept it. If Royals want to be Royals and celebrities expect notoriety, then there’s a price to pay, and that price is serving their communities, there’s no place for worship. Meanwhile, damsels in distress are officially a thing of the past and here we are, ready to create something entirely magical and fresh.
Karina
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