Romancing Liberation: On the Fixed Star Alpheratz

Claude Mellan, Perseus Delivering Andromeda, 1598–1688

Hello friends,

Today, I am releasing an essay on the fixed star Alpheratz for all subscribers.

While I usually keep these for my paid newsletters, after the lovely response to Fixed Star Index, my free resource for getting to know the stars yourself, I wanted to give everyone a taste of the sort of content they can find beyond what is written in the Index.

Each fixed star is filled with a complex mix of poetry, myth and spiritual power that is worthy of whole books enumerating their praises; an essay is a good place to start.

Here are some ways to determine if this star is for you:

• do have any placements within 2º of 14º Aries?

• are you interested in romance, freedom and the wisdom to balance the two?

• do you cherish your rich inner life while also want to cultivate magnetic outer beauty?

• do you want your relationships to be a part of your spiritual becoming?

Then read on. Alpheratz may be the star for you.

Due to my current focus on sect, I am also experimenting with adding another part to my stellar essays. According to sect, we can break the world down into day and night, diurnal and nocturnal. While the diurnal is concerned with logic, abstract reason, and objective truths, the nocturnal finds its wisdom from the murkiness of subjective experience. While my normal essay style fits into the diurnal form of knowing, the nocturnal side explores my personal understanding of the star, as well as my gnostic downloads from direct contact and rituals with Alpheratz.

The nocturnal side will be paywalled, so become a paid subscriber to access the juicy goss:

And, as always, if you want to connect with this star yourself, I outline my method for doing so here:

Remember: You don’t need to have much technical knowledge of astrology to appreciate the stars. We have been writing stories and praying to them since we have been looking up. This essay is meant to help readers connect more deeply to these divine messengers and better understand ourselves.

If you want to learn more about how the stars touch and guide your beautiful life, and what your soul is asking of you, book a fixed star reading with me ⭐. My books are open for April!

Alpheratz: A Diurnal View

Alpheratz is a curious being. As a white and purple double star, she is primarily known for her location in the head of the Andromeda. Drawing from Arabian astronomy, Ptolemy called Alpheratz Al Ras al Mar’ah al Musalsalah, “the Head of the Woman in Chains,” speaking to her constellation’s position as the manacled princess tied to a rock as an offering to a sea monster. But her common name belies her other role as part of the Pegasus constellation. Alpheratz comes from the Arabic Al Surrat al Faras, “the Horse’s Navel”, from her original inclusion in the winged horse’s stomach.

While some may reduce her to one or the other, I believe her magic is located somewhere in the middle of these contradictory poses. What does it mean for this star to be the head of a chained woman and the center of Pegasus, creature of freedom both on earth and in heaven?

Her Maiden Form

Let’s start first with Andromeda. According to Greek Myth, this young woman was the daughter of Cepheus, king of Ethiopia and his wife, Cassiopeia. The Queen bragged of her daughter’s extreme beauty, claiming her to be even more alluring than the Sea Nymphs, daughters of Poseidon. After complaining to their father, he sent Cetus the sea monster to attack the coast of their kingdom. After consulting the Oracle of Ammon, Cepheus learned that he had to sacrifice his daughter to save his people, thus leaving the princess chained to a rock to be devoured by the creature. “This was her bridal,” Manilius writes in the 1st. century AD: “relieving the people’s hurt by submitting to her own, she is tearfully adorned as victim for the avenging beast and dons attire prepared for no such troth as this”. Passive victim to her own fate, Andromeda has no other choice than to submit to her destruction on behalf of the whole.

But, just her luck, young Perseus comes skating by with the head of Medusa in his hands. He becomes so enamored at the sight of the chained princess he asks her parents for her hand in exchange for her rescue: they agree, the young warrior uses Medusa’s petrifying gaze to defeat the monster and they marry, living happily ever after.

A story like this is found in many cultures, like the Japanese myth of rice goddess Kushi- nada-hime who is saved from being devoured by an 8-headed monster by a young sea lord, whom she then marries. This star does carry this core meaning of the receptive feminine, known for her beauty and helped without action on her part. Those touched by this star do enjoy the finer things in life and are most likely a romantic at heart, though that is not the only theme of this dynamic star.

Remember, until 1930, Alpheratz was part of both Andromeda and Pegasus. What does this additional stellar imagery add to our picture of her?

Freedom and Bondage

Interestingly, Pegasus also has a role in the myth of Andromeda. After Perseus beheaded Medusa, Pegasus was born from her neck. After years of exile and bondage, at least Medusa’s kin could experience true liberation. As I explore in my essay on Scheat and Markab, horses are already emblems of freedom due to their wild power and speed: add wings and he becomes a symbol for both physical and intellectual liberation. The tradition sees this same desire for expansiveness in Alpheratz natives. Vivian Robson tells us that this star “gives independence, freedom, love, riches, honor and a keen intellect,” while Bernadette Brady sees Alpheratz as purely representative of Pegasus, “linked to freedom, love of movement, speed, and the sheer joy of the wind in one's hair”. There is an independent streak to Alpheratz natives, the desire and the certainty that they need to do things on their terms, unfettered by the opinions or interference of others. I, for example, have Alpheratz in paran to my Sun and one way that manifests is working for myself. I am arrogant and driven enough to believe my way of doings things is the best way to spend my time and I will gladly sacrifice institutional support and security for that freedom.

But freedom cannot be the sole indication of the maiden in chains. Manilius’s description of Andromeda leans heavily on her imprisoned status, claiming that a native touched by this constellation will be “a dispenser of punishment, a warder of dungeon dire; he will stand arrogantly by while the mothers of wretched prisoners lie prostrate on his threshold, and the fathers wait all night to catch the last kisses of their sons and receive into their inmost being the dying breath”. In his view, Andromeda natives become either bonded themselves or the jailers of others. I have yet to meet an Andromeda native as dastardly as Manilius describes but I can attest to many having grown up with some sort of restriction placed upon them, either by living in an oppressive environment like a cult or overly religious home or being limited in how they can act or be themselves.

The labor of this bound star seeking freedom is not to be underestimated. On the Tuamotu Islands, this star is known as Takurua-e-te-tuki-hanga-ruki, which translates to "Star of the wearisome toil". Though freedom is what they seek, Alpheratz natives must contend with the difficult task of securing such liberation, facing limits and bondage along the way: what are you willing to sacrifice for your own version of the good life?

The Mind Runs Free

But there is another way this ambivalent theme of freedom and bondage manifests with this star. Notice where Alpheratz is positioned within the head of Andromeda. Alpheratz is syncretized with her mind, site of the intellect and imagination, that divine immaterial inner space the monster cannot touch. Manilius is sure to note that even “in the hour of sacrifice she yet preserves a modest demeanour : her very sufferings become her, for, gently inclining her snow-white neck, she seemed to have full charge of her pose”. In other words, though her body is immobile and subject to the whims of fate, her head, freely turned by her neck, is liberated.

Alpheratz natives find freedom even when there is none to be had externally: they make a palace within their minds to fill with all the journeys and possibilities their physical circumstances do not allow. Alpheratz natives know that though they are on the path to extablish freedom of movement for themselves, it starts as a state of mind. Many may have good memories, enjoy the lush possibilities of thought, or even build elaborate mind palaces to hold their inner journeys and salient memories. As a Venus-Jupiter star, the wisdom of the mind, represented by Jupiter, becomes beautiful and romantic thanks to her Venusian nature. Though natives may struggle with thinking too much, they also shouldn’t underestimate the power and solace of their imaginations.

Part of the magic of the mind comes from outer bounds forcing creativity within a small space. It’s worth noting that Uttara Bhadra, the Nashaktra where this star is found, is ruled by Saturn, who deals with limits and “karmic debts still to be paid or the unfulfilled desires may be blocking the final doorway to the higher self,” as Komilla Sutton writes. Freedom is a funny thing. We tend to see it as solely the ability to move and do as we desire. But this definition of freedom, as one that must first contend with the spiritual and physical blocks in front of us, align with Carl Jung’s definition as being able to do what I must do. More than the ability to turn on a whim, Alpheratz is seeking freedom as a doorway to a more enlightened, clarified self who can act not just based on their own ego desires but from the will of the divine.

Connections

Alpheratz’s view of freedom is not one of isolation or exile, however. Rather than freedom disconnecting them from the lives others, in Alpheratz’s view, freedom is what allows us to actually connect with other human beings, another major theme of this fixed star.

In 270 B.C. Aratus, the Greek Astronomer, called Alpheratz xunos aster, meaning “joint” or “common” star referring to her liminal place between the horse and the maiden. Brady places the Andromeda constellation at large together with Cepheus, the king, Cassiopeia the Queen and Perseus the Prince, as depicting “the shape of human society,” or how people come together to function as a whole. Fittingly, Alpheratz is of the nature of the two benefics, Venus and Jupiter, both of which possess the power to connect people together in romantic, civic and friendly ways. Barbara Pijan writes that the Moon traversing Uttara Bhadra, the nakshatra of Alpheratz, is an auspicious time for marriage and Elspeth Ebertin also tells us that the constellation as a whole “gives love between husband and wife and reconciles adulterers”. There is a strong amorous nature to this star, as evidenced by her inclusion in my Stars of Love Lecture, but her powers go beyond romance. Vivian Robson relates that the Sun with the head of Andromeda brings “[h]onor, preferment and favors from others” while the Moon with Alpheratz comes with “honor, wealth, many good friends and business success”. One can expect to have powerful friends or to be uplifted by their social ties when working with or touched by this star.

Manilius’s writing speaks to the magnetic attraction this star possesses. Even as she is girded to a rock, inertly waiting her death, Andromeda enchants every being, living and non-living around her:

To look at you the ocean checked its waves and ceased to break, as was its wont, upon the cliffs, w'hilst the Nereids raised their countenance above the surface of the sea and, weeping for your plight, moistened the very waves. Even the breeze, refreshing with gentle breath your pinioned limbs, resounded tearfully about the cliff-tops.

Her mere presence is so powerful that not only do the sea nymphs her mother offended cry for her, the waves and wind themselves move in mourning, anticipating her death. Even when she seems fated to destruction, it is clear that the world around her holds her within its web of connections. Like the head itself, Alpheratz speaks to the subtle power of the mind, the way spirits undergirds and supports matter, how we are all, always part of the world, supported and loved by all, never not at home here; we just need to cleanse the doors of our perception to truly grasp the magnitude of our interconnection and attract the relationships that can properly hold our bigness.

The Place of Spirit

Remember that Alpheratz marks the head of Andromeda– not a place that is merely gazed upon lovingly but is filled with its own ideas in a seemingly infinite interior. Stars marking the head of a figure tend to have an intellectual, philosophical, even spiritual, tinge to them and Alpheratz is no different. Due to the star’s place in our sky marking the equinoctial colure, where the equinoctial points, i.e. the places the Sun appears during equinoxes, intersects with the celestial spheres, this star, along with Caph in Cassiopea and Algenib in Pegasus, is known as one of “the Three Guides”. Marking the equinoxes, we can infer Alpheratz helps find a certain balance between opposites, a sort of Middle Way that also helps our earthly life intersect with the movements of the heavens.

In China, Alpheratz is found in Bì, the Fourteenth Lunar Mansion, also a name for the asterism formed by this star and those around around γ, ψ and φ Pegasi. Together, they form the eastern wall of the celestial palace ground of the Emperor and mark his private reference library, furthering the idea of Alpheratz as a wealth of knowledge. Even Manilius lets us know that her immaterial life takes precedent as, when Perseus is fighting the sea monster, Andromeda’s “feelings more than her body hang in suspense”. Do not neglect the role of your inner life when touched by or working with Alpheratz.

We can also see the depths of this star in the Vedic tradition, as her nakshatra is not just ruled by Saturn, planet of deep, occulted wisdom, but is associated with the crystalline grid located in the darkest recesses of the earth. According to Barbara Pijan, Uttara Bhadra’s deity is Ahira-Budhnaya, which translates to “serpent of the depths”. Ruler of hidden wisdom and unseen currents of transformation, this serpent-god was said to protect and preserve the “treasures stored in the inner recesses below the surface of Earth” (Pijan). One can see these crystals buried within the earth both as stores of wealth and conductors of currents that allows connection and communication within and without. This serpentine deity is also connected to wisdom and the process of going deep within, past the inner blockages of the self in order to uncover deep, immutable truths. Alpheratz natives may be at home in a library, burying themselves within their studies or in the cell of a monastery, using the confinement to find a divine richness.

But, as Komilla Sutton notes, those of this nakshatra, and those touched by Alpheratz, are not supposed to stay in these unseen depths forever: “The water snake needs
to come to the surface to breathe, therefore the soul of Uttara Bhadra cannot remain in water (spirituality) forever; it needs to periodically connect with the real
world”. Alpheratz is not a monastic, solely independent star but must bring these spiritual truths to the outside for others to see and understand. Conversely, Alpheratz natives should not just retreat fully into their own sovereignty but find external connection that supports it. In this manner, Alpheratz seems to describe and support the formula for living the good life.

Having it All

The idea of women being able to “have it all” seems like a project that’s doomed to fail from the start: never mind the fact that men just get to have it all. Not only are the desires to have a family and the desire to have a career pitted against each other, these questions are on top of a world that intentionally restricts the freedom of women and turns femininity into subjugation, expecting extra labor from femmes while giving them no commensurate power or authority to transcend this bondage. We see this with the Andromeda figure, which, Brady claims, was turned from the “willing receptiveness of the fertile virgin ready to take a suitor,” to “a symbol of a chained, helpless, powerless, and dependent position, a woman weak and needing the masculine to free her-at the time the collective stripped power from women”. The feminine receptive, the nurturing, inviting part of us all, has been turned into something subject to the powerful, active masculine, needing another to complete her rather than inviting him to join her on the ride.

Though the freedom-loving nature of Alpheratz may have you believing this lie at first, that receptivity or femininity is weak and powerless and thus hyper-independence is the only solution, her true journey begins when you understand the need for both freedom and commitment. Pijan tells us that those born under Alpheratz’s Lunar Station, Uttara Bhadra, are blessed by the goddess Lakshmi, who provides not just material benefit but “emotional, intellectual, and spiritual abundance as well”. Pijan paints Uttara Bhadra natives as attractive, their looks magnetic, as well as pure of heart, wise, knowledgable and full of personality. While Uttara Bhadra natives are said to reach foundational stability only when they reach marriage while also being “sexually inclined always and desirous of being in the company of the other sex,” they are also said to be skilled at oration, and able to “attain mastery over several subjects at the same time” even without formal education. Alpheratz shows you can be smart *and* hot, one informing the other. Some may feel intimidated by your success and beauty, even trying to tear you down, but the right people will recognize your value and even help further the divine path you’re walking.

Because this station, and Alpheratz as well, will not settle on carnal love alone, or a relationship that materially supports them without internally fulfilling them. In a world that is constantly telling women and femmes to settle, especially when it comes to dating men, Alpheratz dares you to imagine and believe that you can have both: physical security and emotional fulfillment; a thriving career and a secure relationship. Barbara Pijan even assures Uttara Bhadra natives that “[y]our married life will be full of happiness” and “[y]ou will be blessed to have a most suitable spouse”. You may just have to be okay with reaching these steps on your own terms, in your own time.

Even with the struggle, Alpheratz still promises more blessings than tragedies. We can even see the ultimate auspiciousness of this star in the name of the lunar station. Uttara means "“higher” while Bhadra can signify “auspicious, blessed, gracious and happy”. Part of this blessing, according to Komilla Sutton, is from good karma saved up from a past life, furthering the spiritual component of this star. But this benevolence also comes from the desires of Uttara Bhadra natives to live a life beyond the ordinary, which can make traditional relationships hard, as Sutton writes. But keep in mind the role of women in traditional relationships and beyond that, how much extra labor marriage places on women without the benefits that men typically receive when paired. Especially now, as women are becoming more financially independent and don’t rely on their partners for security, men have to devise a new role to play in the lives of their lovers. It may take more time to find the relationship style or person who suits you on this level beyond need, but on the path of Alpheratz, doing so is necessary to step into your full path. You see, this star and her nakshatra “is not connected to sexual passion but to the intense passion to merge with
the unconscious, to use the talents for the good of humanity”. A momentary pleasure is not meant to be a substitute for what is fulfilling to spirit in the long term. To sum it up, “[t]he Uttara Bhadra spiritual path is connected to living life successfully on earth but remaining detached from it”. Can you follow your passions and desire with a light touch? Can you try you reach for your desires while understanding that dancing with the divine often means following a will beyond your ego’s wishes?

Alpheratz may bring romance but not without helping you find your own purpose and path to fulfillment alongside That way, your partner can join you on the path as a helpful companion, not a fetter or hindrance. She can also bring great freedom and exaltation of the individual but don’t expect to do it all by yourself. Alpheratz asks: what fun would that be anyway?

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Alpheratz: A Nocturnal View

“You’re smart, Chloe. You’ll probably have trouble dating because a lot of guys will be intimidated by you”. My eighth grade english teacher told me this June of my junior year. Another former classmate and I met up with him at the park attached to the town library on a lush, green day. It felt like a time of reflection, both on what I had accomplished since middle school and all that was left to come.