Astrology of Now: Refound Beauty
The original Madonna of the Pomegranates in the Uffizi Gallery
Sometimes the music of the planets is pure magic.
On the news this morning: the discovery of a painting by the Renaissance master, Sandro Botticelli — a version of the famous Madonna of the Pomegranates which hangs in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. It had been considered a fake, but when the layers of yellowing varnish were removed, the beautiful colours and delicate brushstrokes were revealed. After a lot of fancy tests by experts, the painting was verified as from the master’s own workshop.
How perfect on the day after Venus (the Madonna) entered otherworldly, religious Pisces, the sign where she is in “exaltation”, ready to be worshipped. The Madonna is a representation of pure love.
Mercury Retrogrades in Pisces right now, too, right over the Sun of Sandro Botticelli at 19° Pisces. Traditionally Mercury Retrogrades are when we find lost objects.
But there’s more.
Botticelli’s work fell out of fashion as soon as he died, and it was not “re-discovered” until the 1850s, the last time mighty Neptune traversed Pisces, Botticelli’s Sun sign. His natal Neptune is at 15° Virgo (the sign of the Virgin), and today Mercury Rx and Neptune make an extremely rare conjunction at 16° Pisces — the second of three during this season. The next will be on April 2. So Neptune by transit opposes Neptune.
Neptune is the planet of visions, art and universal love. Is Botticelli’s Madonna sending us a message?
Finally — and if you don’t think the planets speak yet, wait for this one. There is an actual asteroid named Botticelli — today at 8° Aries. The Sun is at 7° Aries and by the end of today will have made a conjunction.
Pallas and the Centaur. Botticelli has an exact conjunction of Sun-Pallas and some say this is self-portrait.
Interesting ; I sort of have a similar thing going on right now , but with my natal mercury in opposition in virgo. I wonder what I lost and I wonder what ill find ?
After I split up with my 2nd wife we lost touch , I subsequently found out she had died.She always liked trucks..I found the day she died and discovered that it coincided with the day I purchased my 1st truck .I backtracked and found that transiting Venus was conjunct that day to my P.O.F. in Pisces.The circumstances of our parting were beyond our control at the time , and I still loved her very much.The Venus transit / truck thing I took as a sign.My discovery made me feel sad , and I felt a lot of sentimentality and surrounded by love.
There were other sychchronistic things that happened on the day I bought the truck that were odd , but it would take too long.Mercury was also retrograde that day conjunct Neptune in Pisces.March 15 2013.
That is interesting. There is something here about love, right…
BTW here is a link to an article about this find
https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/mar/28/botticelli-copy-found-to-be-rare-original-from-artists-workshop
Amazing synchronicity. Love Botticelli.
I love Boticelli’s work. It is amazing how the charts continue to work even beyond death…it would be interesting to know the charts of those working in the restoration and tests.
What do you think about the pomegranate? There is the connection with Pluto, but is there a Netunian one as well? Pomegranates have been popping up for me lately
Thank you! growing up we had a pomegranate tree, which was unusual in the area I grew up. Lately, pomegranates keep ‘showing up’. Having Pluto still transiting my 4th, it does feel like a good reminder to pay attention to the hidden jewels that you mention, Christina. The article also reminded me of my italian nonna, she would call it ‘melograno’…she was a virgo with scorpio rising 😉
Isn’t the pomegranate the symbol of Demeter-Ceres?
Yes, although it’s also associated with Juno/Hera. Guess it’s a mother goddess thang! There are many sculptures of her in Paestum holding a pomegranate.
More on pomegranate. Most famous myth is probably the one we all know, when Persephone eats the seeds while she’s in Hades, and then gets stuck there because she’s done so.
You could view this as a metaphor for the seeding of pregnancy.
The interesting thing about a pomegranate is that hard but beautiful out shell concealing the jewelled interior. It’s about the beauty that’s hidden on the inside.
Thank you for that link. That was all new to me. I love the clear inspiraton of that image of the Madonna for Pamela Colman Smith’s Empress card in the Rider Waite Tarot.
https://www.feastonhistory.com/recommendations/2016/8/21/madonna-of-the-pomegranate
What I like about the Oxford astrologer is it opens a door onto the arts very enlightening keep it up. I have the Sun on Fomalhaut. Mercury ruler combust the Sun in Pisces. Transiting Neptune over this point opened the door to the Virgin Mary which was also very enlightening.
Actually I wrote about the Madonna of the Pomegranates here https://www.oxfordastrologer.com/2012/09/mamma-mia-queen-of-pomegranates.html
That’s right! hard to believe it’s been almost 7 years, and we were also about to move again. As soon as we move into the new place, will be planting pomegranates and figs…
I’m struck by the number of redheads. The astrological aspects are wild and wonderful, but all those redheads!