With the summer games of the XXX Olympiad recently concluded, we might have saved ourselves some of the drama and anticipation by taking a look at the chart for their opening on July 27. Many of the most high-profile athletes competing have personal-named asteroids corresponding to them, and their placements at the start of these games show clearly their imminent successes.
The undisputed king of the show was American swimmer Michael Phelps, who made Olympic history by far surpassing the old record for the most-decorated athlete ever. Over a career spanning three Olympic games, Phelps garnered 22 medals total, outstripping Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina’s record of 18, set in 1964. Phelps also holds the record for most gold medals (18, twice as many as his nearest competitors), most golds in individual events (11) and most medals in individual events by a male athlete (13). Phelps’ phenomenal impact and dominance in these games is displayed by the presence of asteroid Michela (#1045, for Michael) at 22 Leo, conjunct asteroid Olympiada at 25 Leo and squared by the Moon (popular acclaim) at 24 Scorpio. In addition, asteroid Phelps (#13433) at 1 Libra opposes asteroid London (#8837, the venue for the games) at 4 Aries and is exactly sextile asteroid Victoria (named for the Roman goddess of victory) at 1 Leo.
Phelps got off to a slow start initially, with his natal Sun/Merman (yes, you heard me—asteroid Merman!) conjunction at 8 and 7 Cancer being hit hard by the Pluto/Uranus square. Phelps barely qualified for his first race, coming in eighth place, and then finished fourth, the first time he has failed to medal in any Olympic event. But he rebounded magnificently to take four more gold medals and establish records that are unlikely to be surpassed in his lifetime.
Two other US swimmers who made a big splash at the 2012 Olympics were Ryan Lochte and Missy Franklin. Lochte (who also sports a natal Sun/Merman contact in a tight T-Square with Saturn) took home five Olympic medals—two gold, two silver and a bronze. Lochte is represented celestially by asteroid Ryan (#21936) which at 25 Aquarius exactly opposes Olympiada at 25 Leo, also opposing asteroid Michela, indicating Phelps, in whose shadow he swam. 17-year-old Missy Franklin’s debut Olympic performance garnered her 4 gold medals and a bronze, setting her on the road to Phelps’ accomplishments. Asteroid Franklina (#982) falls at 18 Leo, conjunct Olympiada and inconjunct Nike at 17 Capricorn, named for the Greek Goddess of victory.
Another high-profile American competitor was Gabrielle “Gabby” Douglas, star of the US women’s gymnastic team. The pert, perky 16-year-old became the first African-American and first woman of color to win gold in both the individual and team all-around competitions, and first American woman to win both competitions in the same Olympics. Asteroid Gaby (#1665) sits exactly with Michela at 22 Leo, conjunct Olympiada, the King and Queen of the games, and also receiving that lunar square guaranteeing public notice. Additionally, asteroid Gabrielle (#355) appears at 5 Aquarius, exactly opposed the Sun of the Olympics at 5 Leo and sextile to London at 4 Aries, while asteroid Douglas (#2684) at 17 Cancer exactly opposed asteroid Nike at 17 Capricorn.
A standout pair was tennis star sisters Venus and Serena Williams, who took their fourth gold medal as teammates in women’s doubles at the 2012 games. Each sister also has three golds in singles competition, with Serena earning her third gold this year. Uranus/Pluto in Phelps’ natal chart may have slowed him down at the start, but in the chart for the games it proved a boon for the Williams sisters, with asteroid Williams (#1763) at 8 Cancer exactly squared Uranus at 8 Aries and closely opposed Pluto at 7 Capricorn, evoking the excitement (Uranus) and power (Pluto) of their wins.
Another pro sports US Olympic Team member who capitalized on his asteroid placements was “Dream Team” basketball player Carmelo Anthony, who set a new US Olympic men’s record for points scored by a single player in a single game. Anthony provided 37 points in only two and a half quarters of play, just 14 minutes, against Nigeria on August 1. Asteroid Antonia (#272, for Anthony) at 15 Cancer opposes Nike at 17 Capricorn, while asteroid Carmelita (#48416, for Carmelo) at 2 Gemini is sextile both the Sun and Victoria, as well as asteroid London.
The Brits, who hosted the games, were rewarded with one of the most amazing days in their long sporting history when three UK track and field athletes brought home the gold for their countrymen in just an hour on August 4. Greg Rutherford took gold in the long jump with an 8.31 meter leap, Mo Farah finished first in the 10,000 meter run with a time of 27 minutes 30 seconds, and capping the day was Jessica Ennis’ spectacular winning performance in the heptathlon, comprising seven track and field events. Asteroids Jessie (#10464, for Jessica Ennis), Gregory (#2527, for Greg Rutherford) and Farra (#7501, for Mo Farah) form a Grand Trine in the sky at the opening of the games, with Gregory at 5 Aries anchoring the pattern to asteroid London at 4 Aries, Jessie at 12 Leo within orb of the 5 Leo Sun, and Farra at 5 Sagittarius completing the circuit, and in exact trine to the Sun.
Asteroid London was coming to station retrograde (exact on August 1), and so remained at 4 Aries throughout the entire XXX Olympiad, its conjunction with Uranus at 8 Aries generating all the excitement and electricity the games could muster. And maybe that’s the point of actually waiting for reality to play out before we decide what it will be—the electricity of the moment.
As I said up front, we could have saved ourselves the trouble of watching the Olympics by looking at the sky in advance, but that wouldn’t have been half as fun. We’d have missed the electricity of the moment, the sparkle as it happens, and the specifics, too, the glorious details of the marvelous performances of the world’s top human athletes. Those things the stars can never reveal. All we could have said was that such and such a person was likely to shine, others to falter, but we’d have missed the real drama unfolding before us. That electric jolt that says “here’s life! Be it!”
Alex Miller is a professional writer and astrologer, whose website AlexAsteroidAstrology.com offers a trove of info on the role of asteroids in personal and mundane astrology. He is the author of The Black Hole Book (available on Amazon.com) and The Urban Wicca, former editor of “The Galactic Calendar,” and past president of The Philadelphia Astrological Society. His pioneering work with Black Holes in astrological interpretation began in 1991, when his progressed Sun unwittingly fell into one. Alex’s books and writings are available on his website. Alex can also be reached for comment or services at .
Leave a Reply