Harry Potter Astrology: Hogwarts and the Four Fixed Signs

Thursday June 23rd 2011
Ron (Pisces), Hermione (Virgo, obviously) and Harry (Leo)

I’m afraid that my entire family is so gripped by Harry Potter frenzy that it’s quite hard to think of anything else.

We started reading it together last winter and now we’re are just finishing the sixth book. If ever I have forgotten a crucial detail, I check with my 8 year old, who simply seems to remember all six books pretty much verbatim (Moon in Cancer).


The Harry Potter series is an astrologer’s playground, of course, because of Rowling’s instinctive grasp of archetypes, psychology and the mechanics of myth.


One of the central elements of the wizarding world that she describes is the division of witches and wizards into four types, as described by the four houses at the school Hogwarts.

The first night the children arrive at the school, they are allocated a house, chosen by the Sorting Hat according to their character. For some children, the choice is obvious, but for others the Sorting Hat needs to think quite hard. For example, in Harry’s case, the Hat wavers between Slytherin and Gryffindor before finally plumping for the latter.

The houses correspond roughly to the four suits in tarot and the four elements of the Zodiac and the four humours of Galen or Carl Jung’s personality types.

ย 

Slytherin – water – cups – melancholic – feeling

Gryffindor – fire – wands – choleric – intuition

Hufflepuff – earth – pentacles – phlegmatic – sensation

Ravenclaw – air – swords – sanguine – thinking

The most outstanding characteristics associated with each house, however are more specific than that. They correspond uncannily to the fixed signs, which sit at the four corners of the zodiacal compass.

The best of Gryffindor is the best of Leo, Harry’s own Sun sign: noble, courageous, bold, intuitive.

“You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart.”

The best of Hufflepuff is the best of Taurus.

You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil;

The best of Ravenclaw is Aquarius.

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,
if you’ve a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning,
Will always find their kind;

And Slytherin, located in a dungeon, is pure Scorpio.

Or perhaps in Slytherin
You’ll make your real friends,
Those cunning folks use any means
To achieve their ends.

 

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  1. Christina says:

    Here’s timing – Rowling launched her new website http://www.pottermore.com today!

  2. Victor says:

    Lord Voldemort is a Capricorn, of course, born on New Year’s eve, ruled by the master of time, Saturn!

    • Julie Ann says:

      Wow thank you! I am revisiting all of this now in retrograde and loving it involving my now love of astrology as well

  3. Christina says:

    Ruled by Father Time himself – ha ha. Voldemort’s greatest fear is death,(he want to stop time) which is why he seeks immortality, right. That’s his preoccupation. What he doesn’t realise is that one way he could have gained immortality was by having a son! or is there something I haven’t read it book 7 – don’t tell me please…

  4. Alan says:

    Or a daughter Christina — tut tut!

  5. Christina says:

    @Alan – oops. You are quite right – and I did spend the first three books thinking, “JK – not enough strong women.”

  6. Louise says:

    I read the first five books back in 2003, but then re-read them all from the start over the past month and just finished the Deathly Hallows two days ago. Interesting timing, this article, you guys all reading them too, and the new website ๐Ÿ™‚ What transits are triggering ‘Harry Potter’ at the moment? ๐Ÿ™‚

  7. Anonymous says:

    I’m a huge HP fan and I live,breathe and sleep Astrology! so what a fab combination. Thank you Oxford Astrologer! you have made me realise that in fact Astrology can be applied to just about anything. Awesome!

  8. Christina says:

    @Louisa and @Anonymous – there is so much to say about the astrology of HP. I’m working on a much longer piece.

  9. Cosmic Mummy says:

    Thought you might be interested in this link, and touched that you are both reading the books with your 8 year olds!

    http://astrotabletalk.blogspot.com/search/label/JK%20Rowling

  10. Christina says:

    And isn’t interesting that Dharmaruci chose the same descriptions of the houses!

    Eight is the age for HP, although I think book 6 (The Half-Blood Prince), which we have now finished BTW, was a bit advanced for her. Still she can go back and read it again later.

  11. Sabrina says:

    Loving these posts about HP and JK! my youngest cousin introduced me to His favorite book (Harry Potter!) when he was eight, 12 years ago, and of course I loved it too. Years later I took him to watch the first movie.

  12. Christina says:

    @Sabrina – I think of those kids as the Harry Potter generation!

  13. Jackie T says:

    You’re writing a longer piece? – bring it to the Group!

  14. Anonymous says:

    so true, even though Harry was the main character, I always found myself rooting for his enemies in slytherin, because i just related to them more. I’m a scorpio…shocker and got sorted into slytherin in pottermore. it makes so much more sense now

  15. Wikipedia claims that Rowling read French and Classics at Exeter. She was also a fan of Tolkein. The article says that she wrote a short journal essay about her experience of Greek and Roman studies. There is a TED Talk where he spoke at Harvard on “The Fringe Benefits of Failure.” She describes her trepidation at disobeying her parents expectations in choosing her major. It was an act of rebellion to veer away something more “lucrative” like business. Ironic, eh? ๐Ÿ™‚

  16. Anonymous says:

    Interesting to re-read this. I watched the Deathly Hallows film again last night. The Tolkien influence is distinct but still nonetheless I am still so struck by her stories; the breadth and depth. The journey into despair; it’s pretty huge stuff; heartbreaking. I was reflecting that JK’s generation don’t get much credit for doing anything much to influence the world culture or create social change. But here is an influence that’s very obvious in one way- we all know about it – but also seems to me to speak of the style of that virgo/pisces polarity of her generation, which is a modest style. And she is a modest writer (who has given away her fortune) who writes for children; the effect of her speaking those cultural archetypes has influenced a whole generation. Taught something very powerful I think.

    • Christina says:

      I really like what you’ve said here – and pointed out about her generation and its modesty. And to take that further — Virgo is a Mercury-ruled sign, a writer’s sign.

  17. […] Potter and the Cycles of Destiny Hogwarts and the Four Fixed Signs Harry Potter and Ophiucus JK Rowling: The Perfect Writer’s […]

  18. […] of you who are not Potter fans, I’m talking about  the author JK Rowling, creator of Harry Potter et al. The cool(ish) Virgo is Hermione Granger, Harry Potter’s brainy sidekick. Even without a […]

  19. […] And it’s not just me that makes the connections between Scorpios and Slytherins, see here. Additionally, I was born in the Year of the Snake and the snake is the symbol of Slytherin. […]

  20. joleen says:

    Although i would normally agree with these correlations, i myself am a Scorpio yet i was sorted into hufflepuff even weirder is my Myer Briggs is INFJ. Go figgure XD. None of these personality indicators match up, any guesses on how i got to be this way?