By Thomas Canfield
Perhaps one of the most uplifting of Broadway musicals is the classic “My Fair Lady”, which was based on the social satire “Pygmalion” by George Bernard Shaw. In a strange twisting of the “Cinderella” saga, a poor cockney flower girl is recruited by a language scholar to undergo training to refine her speech and social habits so that she can pass as an aristocrat. The story has some morally questionable characters, but no real villains. In the end, everyone experiences uplift and a great sense of regeneration.
The reason I mention “My Fair Lady” is because the Equinox chart looks to be as enchanting and as uplifting as the musical. It may be a time when we may find ourselves humming hit tunes like, “I could have danced all night” , “I’m getting married in the morning”, and even “the rains in Spain fall mainly on the plain.” With the Sun in Aries, conjunct Chiron and squaring the Node axis, it may be a time for questioning life’s purpose, and coming to the realization that things are changing. We only have to figure out how to make them change for the better.
What is fascinating about the Equinox chart is how easily the spirit of discord is squashed. Pallas, Mars, Jupiter, and Pluto in Capricorn are squaring Eris, dwarf planet of discord. The Ascendant in Scorpio (sign of transformation) is quincunx Eris. One should think of when Eliza Doolittle begins her training, she seemed petulant and rebellious, but willing to do it because Henry Higgins challenged her. Her discordant streak disappeared when Henry Higgins turned out to be more challenging than expected. In this sense, Higgins is like the four bodies in Capricorn suppressing the Eris in Aries discord.
Mercury in Pisces is sextile Uranus in Taurus, and it may be a time for new ideas and revelations. Uranus is also trine the Midheaven, suggesting a new career possibility. Mercury is opposing the Midheaven, questioning whether a new career is wanted. This can be likened to Eliza’s new discoveries as she encounters words and pronunciations that are alien to her. She is forced to go through torturous linguistic exercises, as well as lessons in posture and etiquette, which would have been standard practice for the upper class women at the time. With Uranus sextile the North Node and Mercury sextile the South Node, there may be a major change in values. This would become evident to Eliza as she evolved from the working woman to the “woman of leisure.”
The only major conflict in the Equinox chart is a square between the Moon and Ceres in Aquarius and Venus in Taurus. It may be seen as a clash in maternal values. This can be shown in “My Fair Lady” when Henry Higgins pays a visit to his domineering mother, who may have poisoned his attitudes towards women. The nurturing nature of Ceres may become doubly controlling with the Moon, and cause a toxic attitude towards romance (square Venus.) This brings to mind the most humorously sexist song in the show, “Why can’t a woman be more like a man?” Henry Higgins laments that women cannot be as understanding as his friend, Colonel Hugh Pickering. Fortunately, motherhood wins out in the end, with Juno trine the Moon and Ceres. Eliza Doolittle turns to Mrs. Higgins for support, and poor Henry Higgins is emotionally cut off again. In the case of the Equinox chart, Juno trine the Moon and Ceres may indicate triumph by women, and an acknowledgment of their ability. Venus in Taurus may stand for more selfish attitudes some may have, like getting ahead for the sake of just getting ahead. Neptune sextile Venus might spur on such achievement, but there comes a point when you have to question the fantasy. One of the most poignant moments in “My Fair Lady” is when Eliza, dressed in an evening gown, returns to her former neighborhood and realizes it is all foreign to her. She has succeeded, but what has she succeeded in getting? Such a dichotomy is shown in the Equinox chart with Chiron opposing the Part of Fortune. Eliza has gotten good breeding, but no money to support it. As a counterpoint, her dustman father has come into money, but he does not have the breeding to manage it. This is comically shown as Alfred P. Doolittle sings, dances, and drinks with the slum denizens, as he proclaims, ”Get me to the church on time.”
Fortunately, with Saturn trine Vesta, family values win out in the end. Everyone settles down to a complacent attitude of domesticity. Even the sexist Henry Higgins sings the sentimental “I’ve grown accustomed to her face.” However, George Bernard Shaw declared that Higgins was not to marry Eliza. In an epilogue to “Pygmalion”, Shaw made it clear that Eliza was to marry Freddy Eynsford-Hill, a shiftless society figure. Eliza and Freddy were to take night classes on business management, and then open up a flower shop in the wealthy part of town. Henry Higgins and Colonel Pickering were to be fairy godfather figures, providing funding for the business venture. This fits with Saturn and Vesta being at 29 degrees of Earth signs, in which there is no final romantic resolution, but a satisfactory arrangement between friends.
Anyway, the purpose of Broadway musicals is to offer a feel-good situation to the public, and if the audience goes home singing, whistling, or humming the tunes, then the show was a success. If the public buys the albums, then it is a smashing success. We may be seeing such a smashing success at the time of the Equinox. A combination of feel good elements may be coming into our lives. The Sun and Chiron offer a chance for improvement. The square to the Node Axis offers a challenge to make changes. Discord is suppressed with Pallas, Mars, Jupiter, and Pluto squaring Eris. New ideas are presented with Mercury sextile Uranus. If there is any emotional upheaval, it can be solved by some maternal love, with Moon conjunct Ceres, and both trine Juno. Try not to get too caught up in the dream world with Neptune sextile Venus. The final outcome is a home life with stability and security, shown by Saturn trine Vesta. In the end, Eliza does achieve the wish she made at the start of the story:
All I want is a room somewhere, Far away from the cold night air, With one enormous chair, Oh, wouldn’t it be loverly!