by Madalyn Aslan
According to a recent interview, JK Rowling thinks there are about 3000 wizards in Britain. This is good news! Divination is alive and well in our world, just as it is in all of her books. Everywhere you turn in the Potter series, there are references to astrology and divination... take a look!
The Four Elements
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry's four houses correspond to the four elements, just like the signs of the zodiac. Gryffindor is fire, Hufflepuff is earth, Ravenclaw is air and Slytherin is water. If you are familiar with Hogwarts, you will find its houses fit their elements perfectly. Harry is of course the fire sign of Leo, and in the Gryffindor House of fire.
Birthdays Past & Present
My young wizards' guide What's Your Sign? paid homage to Leo Harry Potter when his series was born, and pre-birth was linked to him in a way that still tickles me today. Its original editor Tui Sutherland had the same birthday as Harry...and the same as Harry's creator, JK Rowling who gave Harry her own birthday, July 31! More evidence that we all revolve around the Sun and its sign Leo.
Not coincidentally, Daniel Radcliffe who plays Harry in the movies is also a Leo. In fact, there are more Leos than any other sign in the Harry Potter series.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was born Saturday, July 16, 2005, in the Sun sign of Cancer. It is no coincidence that its birthday is – day of all days – the day Saturn left Cancer. Excellent timing, JK Rowling! The book has a Cancer Sun sign and there's nothing better for Cancer than the day Saturn leaves it. (Plus, Saturn won't return to Cancer for another 29 years.)
The Half-Blood Prince's luck and destiny (Jupiter) is in Libra which rules partnerships. And more characters end up partnered in this book than in any other: Harry and Ginny, Ron and Hermione, and Bill and Fleur. Dumbledore's bad luck is inextricably linked to the book's partnership-oriented Libra Jupiter good luck. As JK Rowling says of Dumbledore, "Where is his equal, where is his confidante, where is his partner?" Thus, the tragedy.
Without giving any more away, find which character – and its actor Muggle in the movies – shares your same sign and birthday.
Astrological Players By Sign
Aries – Fred and George Weasley
Aries is the first sign of the zodiac and must always be first in everything. Fred and George Weasley were born the first of April and are inventors, making things exist for the first time ever and before anyone else does. They exemplify Aries pioneering boldness, drama and fun to a Tee, including their ambition to open a joke shop so as to sell their inventions. Frequent shenanigans get them into trouble and they are always at odds with authority.
In Filch's office again for being caught in an escapade, they notice a drawer which says Confiscated and Highly Dangerous. This to Aries is just pure invitation! Aries ignites, burns, enthuses and then – like its animal the ram –charges. Fred and George are truly irrepressible, born of fire.
Behind-the-scenes Aries Muggles in the Harry Potter films are: Emma Watson who plays Hermione, Gary Oldman who plays Sirius Black, Emma Thompson who plays Professor Trelaway, Katie Leung who plays Cho Chung, Julie Christie who plays Madame Rosmerta, Robbie Coltrane who plays Hagrid and Mike Newell, the director of Goblet of Fire.
Taurus – Professor Pomona Sprout
Professor Pomona Sprout is the perfect earthy witch: born under the primary earth sign of Taurus. With her roots and fingers in the soil, she teaches class in the Hogwarts greenhouse. Taurus likes to be obvious and simple, on many complex levels! Just look at Tauruses Sigmund Freud, William Shakespeare and Karl Marx. Pomona is taken from the name of the Roman Goddess of fruit trees, and Sprout is exactly what it is. Taurus believes in reaping what you sow, both literally and figuratively.
Taurus has a brilliant earthy sense of everything (including humor) and so has the actress who plays Professor Sprout, who was born on the same day as Professor Sprout in the book – May 15. Who says astrology isn't sprouting its seeds here?
Behind-the-scenes Taurus Muggles: Miriam Margolyes who plays Professor Sprout (and was born on the very same day as her!) and Zoe Wanamaker who plays Madame Hooch, the digital compositor for Chamber of Secrets, and the visual effects master for Prisoner of Azakaban.
Gemini – Draco Malfoy
Draco Malfoy, born June 5, is a brilliant example of Gemini twin double-sidedness. Not only does he function as Harry Potter's "other" side and nemesis, but JK Rowling keeps us guessing which side Malfoy is truly on all the way through six of her seven books! He also has the looks of an angel – the traditional blonde hair which none of the other characters have – but behaves like an angel's opposing twin. Another example of the twin flip side of Gemini.
Gemini's ruling planet is Mercury, the winged messenger who delights in stirring up mischief, and rules motion, speech, speed and change. Hence the word "mercurial" which is so true of Malfoy. Gemini is wicked fast and smart. Remember how fast Malfoy is on his broomstick?
Behind-the-scenes Gemini Muggles: Jason Isaacs who plays Draco Malfoy's father Lucius whose birthday is just one day after his fictional son's! And talk about ruling motion– the motion control previs supervisor for all the Harry Potter movies is a Gemini.
Cancer – House Elf Dobby
Cancer rules the home so naturally JK Rowling gave her one Cancerian birthday to the house elf, Dobby, whose birthday is June 28. Just like the Cancer crab with its shell of protection, Dobby is over-protective of Harry, worrying and fussing over him constantly. As I describe in my young wizards' guide What's Your Sign, Cancer can sometimes be the sign of Chicken Little, stressing over the sky falling down. Dobby is similarly annoying and endearing, loving and crabby too!
Cancer's ruler is the Moon which rules all that is underneath – our subconscious feelings. Dobby is emotional and gives into his subconscious fears, both of which worry Harry. At the same time, he rescues Harry from the abusive Muggle family and returns him to his deeper self and true home.
Behind-the-scenes Cancer Muggles: Matthew Lewis who plays Neville Longbottom, Fiona Shaw who plays Petunia Dursley, the prosthetic makeup and creatures assistant, and the recently-born Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
Leo – Rules All Harry Potter
Leo is royal and courageous, represented by the lion, king of the animals – so it is fitting that Harry Potter has more Leos in it than any other sign. Harry Potter is the most powerful wizard at Hogwarts... and not only is he a Leo but so is his master creator, JK Rowling – with the same birthday of July 31 – and so is the actor who plays him, Daniel Radcliffe! The astrology doesn't stop here...Harry's first true girlfriend Ginny Weasley is also a Leo, as is Neville Longbottom – both of whom, as befits Leo, have fought bravely to defeat the dark side.
Leo's ruler is the Sun which rules the solar system and around which our universe revolves...and of course our entire universe does revolve around Harry Potter! Leo JK Rowling values courage above all other virtues and this shows in all the dynamics of the Harry Potter series.
Behind-the-scenes Leo Muggles: Very few! Except for the stars above, I couldn't find any Leos working behind the scenes – such as sound, costume, etc – of any Harry Potter films! If you are a Leo and behind the scenes, you are either in the wrong job or you got your birth date wrong.
Virgo – Get -it-Right Hermione
When a Virgo cares, they criticize. Virgo's primal urges are to improve and to make better... and this includes their nearest and dearest. Hermione, the smartest and most critical girl at Hogwarts, exemplifies the traits of her September 19 birthday completely. Thus her constant haranguing of Ron over not being a "proper perfect." As we see in The Half-Blood Prince, she cares about Ron very much. And yes, like many Virgos, she's also modest... coming from humble Muggle parentage.
Virgin in the strictest sense means purist and Hermione's about as purist as one can get. Passionate about rules and about what is right, her Virgo self makes it impossible to slack off. Remember, the worker bee is the busiest, most useful insect of all. It pollinates.
Behind-the-scenes Virgo Muggles: Rupert Grint who plays Ron Weasley, Tom Felton who plays Draco Malfoy, Stephen Fry who does the UK audio narration (and is an excellent director in his own right) and the camera pilot.
Harry Potter Horoscopes Continued »
