Female Authors and Their Characters—the Incredible Power of Personal Named Asteroids

Recently I came across asteroid Potter while working on a client’s chart. Having just completed a marathon viewing of four Harry Potter films, the thought occurred to me—what would happen if I plugged asteroid Potter into JK Rowling’s chart?

Over the past decade I’ve chronicled the appearance of PNAs (Personal-Named Asteroids) in news stories and current events, as well as the lives of celebrities and politicians. I’ve seen them appear in the charts and lives of “ordinary” people, too, in their own names and the names of those close to them, even the names of total strangers who end up strongly impacting their lives.

But I wondered, what about the characters that authors create? Do PNA matches only show up for “real” people, or also for the ones we “make up”?

JK Rowling and Harry Potter seemed a good place to start. Born 31 July 1965, Rowling’s story is a rags-to-riches epic par excellence. Rowling, a single, unemployed welfare mother, transformed herself in less than five years into one of the most widely read authors ever, with more than 400 million copies of her books sold, establishing a media franchise worth well over $7 billion.

And it all started with a little bespectacled orphan boy named Harry Potter. Asteroid Potter (#7320) falls at 14 Sagittarius in Rowling’s nativity, from where it transforms a powerful opposition into an even more impactful T-Square. The natal opposition is from Saturn, governing career matters and worldly success, at 16 Pisces, to Pluto, ruling transformation and self-empowerment, at 14 Virgo. In itself, this grants the potential to pull oneself up by the bootstraps and make a powerful statement in the world via one’s life work.

But the linchpin of this polarity comes in the form, incredibly, of asteroid Potter, the critical element which enabled Rowling to execute her astounding transformation. Asteroid Potter, in the form of her lead character Harry Potter, focused the latent potential of Saturn and Pluto to craft a global sensation of almost unparalleled impact, and brought Rowling unimaginable attention and largesse.

Harry’s chief mentor in the series, headmaster of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, is Albus Dumbledore, with whom Harry often works hand-in-glove to defeat the evil menace Voldemort. And appearing right next to asteroid Potter (signifying a close relationship), also in the T-Square, is asteroid Albis (#7641, phonetic match for “Albus”). What’s intriguing about this pairing is that Albis exactly squares Saturn, representing the teacher or master and the head of the institution, while Potter exactly squares Pluto, and the series is as much about Harry’s personal transformation from boy to man as about anything supernatural. The PNA nuance depicted here is astounding in its implications for the ways these minor bodies can modify outcomes, when the native “goes with the flow” and subconsciously accedes to their promptings.

Harry’s two best friends at Hogwarts are Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, and his main antagonist is Draco Malfoy. Draco is represented by asteroid Drago (#25115, another phonetic match), which fittingly appears within this same pattern, at 15 Virgo, right next to Pluto, here representing the dark side of the wizarding world, its evil, power-seeking and corruption.

Hermione Granger’s PNA presence is perhaps the most dramatic, with an exact match for her first name (#121) falling at 17 Cancer, closely opposing asteroid Grange (#4885, for “Granger”) at 16 Capricorn, firmly binding these two names in Rowling’s psyche. These are T-Squared by Mars at 17 Libra, showing Hermione’s strength as one of Harry’s chief defenders and champions, and also intimating the sexual tension between her and Ron Weasley, which develops as a major plot element in the later books. Ron is the least well-represented main character, but appears as asteroid Rone (#8680) at 29 Libra, opposing asteroid Weseley (#25513) at 21 Aries (which more strongly fills in the Hermoine/Grange/Mars T-Square, completing that pattern as a Grand Cross describing their courtship).

Several characters are named for actual Fixed Stars—Harry’s godfather Sirius Black is represented by Fixed Star Sirius at 14 Cancer, conjoined Hermione and in exact inconjunct to Potter. The inconjunct is an aspect of adjustment, and can lead to awkward complications; in the series’ third volume, “The Prisoner of Azkaban”, Harry is forced to re-evaluate his opinion of Sirius, whom he thought had betrayed his parents, and adjust his views to incorporate him as a supporter.

Series nemesis Bellatrix Lestrange (who eventually kills Sirius) is seen in Fixed Star Bellatrix at 20 Gemini, closely conjunct Rowling’s Jupiter at 22 Gemini. Lucien Malfoy, Drago’s father and a chief supporter of Voldemort, appears as asteroid Lucienne (#1892, a feminine variant of the name) at 20 Aquarius, exactly trine Bellatrix, his confederate, and squared Neptune at 17 Scorpio, representing the deception and subterfuge by which Lucien Malfoy attempts to hide his allegiance to Voldemort and ingratiate himself with the hierarchy of the Ministry of Magic.

Well, that certainly looked like a good start, so I decided to branch out, looking for correlations among other authors and their creations. I must admit, most of the male authors’ connections to their characters were tenuous at best (with the exception of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes’ creator, who sports an amazing stellium of Watsonia (for Dr. Watson), Moriarty (Holmes’ criminal mastermind opponent) and Holmes, all within 6 degrees and sextile his Sun). But with female authors, each one I tested paid off. Perhaps the female psyche is more attuned to the vibrations of these minor bodies, or perhaps I just made bad choices with the men.

Jane Austen, one of the earliest female English authors and among the most enduring, with screen adaptations of her works rife in the 1990s, made a powerful impact with her romantic fiction. She is remembered most for three novels and their female protagonists: Sense and Sensibility (1811) featuring the Dashwood sisters, Elinor and Marianne; Pride and Prejudice (1813) featuring Elizabeth Bennet; and the eponymous Emma (1815), centering on Emma Woodhouse.

Born 16 December 1775, Austen’s nativity shows strong correlations to all these characters, and to her own namesake asteroid, “Janeausten” (#39415). Elinor Dashwood appears in two astro-guises, in an exact match (#2650) and the linguistically similar Eleanora (#354). Elinor at 1 Gemini conjoins Uranus at 3 Gemini and opposes Mercury, ruling writing, at 5 Sagittarius. Eleanora at 15 Gemini is an exact match for Jupiter, ruling publication and fame (Sense and Sensibility was her first published novel, an entrée into the literary circles of the time). Asteroid Marianna (#602, for Marianne Dashwood) falls at 19 Virgo squared Austen’s 24 Sagittarius Sun. Marianna is also closely opposed asteroid Janeausten at 18 Pisces, forming a T-Square with the Sun.

Conjunct that Sun is asteroid Wodehouse (#4608, named for fellow Brit author PG Wodehouse and a phonetic match for Emma Woodhouse) at 29 Sagittarius, with asteroid Emma (#283) in exact trine to the Sun from 24 Aries. Least connected (and perhaps least well known) is character Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice, represented by asteroid Elisabetha (#412) at 12 Taurus, opposing natal Venus (creative pursuits) at 9 Scorpio, with asteroid Bennett (#4093) at 4 Aquarius in sextile to natal Mercury.

Back on this side of the pond, I checked Louisa May Alcott, best known for her “Little Women” series. These groundbreaking novels, later published as one volume and followed by several sequels, became instantly popular and eventually mandatory reading in American classrooms, as well as receiving numerous wide screen adaptations. Alcott’s protagonists are the March sisters, Margaret (“Meg”), Josephine (“Jo”), Elizabeth (“Beth”) and Amy.

Born 29 November 1832, Louisa May Alcott’s chart well reflects her choice of character names. As with the Conan Doyle example mentioned above, the vast majority of her characters appear within a fairly narrow range of the zodiac, albeit more widely spaced. In addition to the girls, the book’s main characters include their mother, also named Margaret, and father Robert March.

Asteroid Margret (#1410, for both mother Margaret “Marmee” and eldest daughter Margaret “Meg”) falls at 18 Libra, and leads off the celestial show, followed by asteroid Josefa (#649, for Josephine “Jo”) at 24 Libra, Roberta (#335, feminine variant of Robert) at 29 Libra, Elisabetha (#412, for Elizabeth “Beth”) at 5 Scorpio, and Bethe (#30828, for Elizabeth’s nickname) at 8 Scorpio. Asteroid Amy (#3375) at 3 Cancer is “odd man out”, so to speak, but broadly opposes natal Venus, creative expression, at 9 Capricorn, which is also conjoined by asteroid Josephina (#303, a closer match for Josephine) at 12 Capricorn. Alcott’s own first name, Louise, is represented by asteroid Luisa (#599), which at 13 Sagittarius conjoins the 7 Sagittarius Sun.

The Civil War saga “Gone With the Wind” has been acknowledged by successive generations of critics and audiences alike as one of the greatest works of American cinema. The film also had one of the quickest book-to-screen turnaround times for its day, from the publication of Margaret Mitchell’s 1936 Pulitzer Prize winning bestseller to its theatrical release less than three years later. Almost 2 million copies of the novel were sold in its first year, and the film broke box office records nationally, still holding pride of place as the number one domestic moneymaker ever, with $1.6 billion in proceeds, adjusted for inflation. The story centers on the willful Scarlett O’Hara, a southern plantation owner’s daughter caught up in the madness of war and her obsession for the milquetoast Ashley Wilkes, who she sees as the love of her life, while fending off the advances of rogue Rhett Butler, who finally wins her.

Mitchell, born 8 November 1900, created characters whose PNAs appear prominently in her birth chart. Unfortunately, there is no O’Hara asteroid, and Scarlett is represented most closely by asteroid Scarlatti (#6480), but this makes a bold statement. At 17 Capricorn, it closely trines asteroid Butler (#13543, there is no Rhett asteroid either) at 15 Virgo, with Mitchell’s 15 Scorpio Sun on their midpoint, in sextile to each. Close beside Scarlatti is Scarlett’s elusive lover Ashley, in the form of asteroid Wilke (#4117), at 18 Capricorn (and asteroid Mitchella, #1455, for Margaret Mitchell, conjoins both from 22 Capricorn). To lend emphasis, asteroid Ashley (#6752) at 1 Virgo is sesquiquadrate Scarlatti, forming another bond between them.

Unable to commit to Scarlett, Ashley Wilkes marries his cousin Melanie Hamilton, the fourth major character, who is represented by asteroid Melanie (#688), which at 28 Aquarius is exactly trined natal Neptune at 28 Gemini, representing Melanie’s self-effacing, self-sacrificing persona, gentle and mild, and longsuffering of Scarlett’s antics throughout. Asteroid Hamiltonia (#452, for Hamilton) at 8 Virgo conjoins both asteroid Ashely at 1 Virgo and Butler at 15 Virgo, once again combining three major characters in a celestial string of minor bodies.

Finally, another modern writer, and the creator of another multi-billion-dollar empire—Stephenie Meyer, author of the popular “Twilight” series. The plot of the four-book series centers on heroine Isabella “Bella” Swan’s love triangle with vampire Edward Cullen and werewolf Jacob Black. Made into five movies, “Twilight” has grossed more than $2 billion in box office take alone, with book sales and merchandizing pushing total earnings to nearly $6 billion.

Born 24 December 1973, Stephenie Meyer also has strong connections to the celestial namesakes of her characters. Her Sun at 2 Capricorn opposes Saturn, ruling career, at 1 Cancer, which conjoins asteroid Jacobi (#12040, one version of “Jacob”) at 3 Cancer; these form a T-Square with asteroid Stephania (#220, for Stephenie) at 1 Libra, itself conjunct natal Pluto (vast wealth) at 6 Libra. A second referent for Jacob, asteroid Jakoba (#1893) at 5 Scorpio broadly conjoins asteroid Black (#11207, the character’s last name) at 13 Scorpio, which squares asteroid Kulin (#3019, phonetic match for Edward Cullen) at 15 Leo, that aspect denoting the tension and rivalry between Bella’s suitors.

Asteroid Edoardo (#27917, for Edward) at 27 Capricorn is exactly sextile asteroid Isabella (#210, Bella’s full first name) at 27 Pisces, and exactly squared natal Uranus at 27 Libra. Asteroid Eduarda (#340) at 1 Aquarius, another variant of “Edward”, appears conjunct both Edoardo and Stefani (#4624, another “Stephenie” stand-in) at 3 Aquarius, providing a double shot of celestial energy focusing Meyer personally on that name. Edoardo and Jakoba together form a T-Square with natal Mars at 0 Taurus, again reflecting their native antagonism and the love triangle that involves them both. Asteroid Bella (#695) at 24 Aquarius is tightly squared asteroid Swann (#4082, for Swan, her last name) at 23 Taurus, and both connect to natal Mercury, ruling writing, at 23 Sagittarius, by sextile and inconjunct respectively.

While it’s not a definitive study, and further research is required to confirm the pattern, it’s worth noting that these were the only five female authors whom I tested, and all investigations show significant correlations between these writers and the characters they created and are best known for. “As above, so below,” indeed!

Alex Miller

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 .