Trigger warning: Discussions of rape. Parts that you may want to skip over are marked with this warning and a ***. Thank you!
With the arrival of Netflix's offshoot of the Bridgerton series, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, I thought it'd be nice to look into the astrology of the series as a whole. I'll cover the first publication of the Bridgerton book series, the premier date for season 1, and the astrology of the new series, Queen Charlotte.
I've used the headquarters locations of Shondaland and HarperCollins and 12:00 pm for the times.
Some interesting things to note:
- Venus is in Sagittarius for the release of the original book as well as the first season of Bridgerton, but is in the opposite sign, Gemini, for the release of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.
- Mercury and the Sun are always conjunct in an earth sign
- Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story was released during the series's Jupiter return
- All charts have Neptune in tight (if not exact) aspect to the nodes, with Queen Charlotte being the only one to have a biquintile to the south node.
So let's tackle the first thing that comes to mind when I think of Bridgerton. Venus. The series is all about love, sex, relationships, and beauty. The first season of Bridgerton was visually stunning, took creative liberties and was just all around fun. Trigger warning: Discussions of rape. Skip to *** (or four paragraphs) to continue on with the article.
But the series, though set in the Edwardian period, doesn't shy away from sex. I don't think it's a coincidence that in The Duke and I's chart, Venus and Pluto are conjunct. In both the book and the first season, Daphne assaults her husband. When asked about it, author Julia Quinn said this in an article:
“In all of my books,” she adds, “that’s probably the only scene that comes close to something of non-consent. But at the time, not a single person really said anything. If anything, the reaction was, ‘You go girl!’ The fact that it has come into discussion shows how far we’ve come. Women’s understanding of ourselves and our agency has changed so much. It’s harder for us to identify with Daphne and the fact that, within that marriage and in that society, she has no power. I’m not saying what she did was right. I’m just saying it’s harder for a modern woman to understand it than it was 20 years ago.” Source.
Considering Venus represents relationships, and Pluto represents power, I don't think I'm super surprised by the combo after seeing the charts. The first season of the show acknowledges this by including it, with Venus conjunct the south node. And with Venus being in Sagittarius both times, I find it interesting to note how beliefs, attitudes, and worldviews have changed on the topic since the book's first release. And with Venus conjunct Pluto in the chart for the first book, I don't find it surprising that themes of rape, power, and sex are involved.
And I think we can use the Moon to see just how all these things are perceived by the audience in season 1. The Moon is widely inconjunct Venus. While people may have loved the beauty and overall theme(s) of the show, it sparked discussion and made a lot of people think, especially on a societal, wide scale, level, with Jupiter in Aquarius.
***Trigger warning discussion over. Read the rest of the article below. ***
But the show is deliciously extravagant in it's imagery. The visuals are just stunning, as are the classical remakes of modern songs that are used. If we use the Moon in Taurus to understand how the audience received it, we would see that it's ruled by Venus. For the first season, the Moon is also sextile Neptune, and I think the audience got swept up in all of the imagery and grandeur of it all. It truly took people to a historical romance fantasy state of mind.
Something interesting to note, though, is that while Venus shares the same sign for The Duke and I and Bridgerton season 1, it is in the air sign Gemini for Queen Charlotte. This is something I find particularly intriguing, as this mini series covers mental health much more than past seasons. The love conquers all trope not only overcomes boundaries of race, but also mental health. And although Venus is not conjunct anything, like in the book and season 1, it is exactly square Neptune and sextile Jupiter. The show does a good job at displaying the challenges of love and mental health. It covers each character separately, with Jupiter in Aries, their mental states with Venus, and their own obstacles to the relationship with Neptune.
Neptune seems to hold a lot of weight, each time loosely aspecting Venus, and pretty precisely aspecting the nodes. I think it's funny, since each Bridgerton installment we've seen so far has not only been visually stunning, but also involved deception. In the first book and season 1, this is done through a fake relationship. In Queen Charlotte, this is done through Charlotte not being filled in to her husband's mental state before they got married. Now, fake relationship tropes aren't uncommon for romance novels, nor is a little bit of deception. It needs that extra ~drama~ to spice it up a little. But I think this is particularly interesting because of it's aspects to the nodes.
While this is obviously historical fantasy, it's neat to see how the nodes pay homage to the past while looking into a future that could be. The book and Queen Charlotte's nodes are square, which, while I haven't devoted enough attention to, is worth noting. The nodes call attention to the fact that while this is historical romance, and based in the past, Neptune calls attention to the fact that this is fantasy. Delightful fantasy. But still fantasy.
And at the core of that is the message behind it - love. An idealized love. The Sun in the show conveys it's spirit. And the vital spirit, besides the message, is the storytelling. And that's what it means, in this case, to have Mercury conjunct the Sun.
And I think the storytelling lines up perfectly with the Jupiter return of the Bridgerton series. To transport a reader or viewer to another time and place, and have them experience something outside of themselves - that is important. And that is good media.
I look forward to season 3 of Bridgerton.
Some of my favorite quotes from Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story include:
Sorrows. Sorrows. Prayers.
You prefer the stars to my company?
Come, hide from the heavens with me.
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