On, May 14th, 2024, at Buckingham Palace, King Charles unveiled his first official royal portrait since his coronation. The painting, which depicts King Charles, dressed in the military uniform of the Welsh Guard and bathed in a sea of fiery red, is a striking piece and has caused no small amount of online conspiracy theorizing. What is most notable however, is how closely the portrait, and the subsequent controversy, aligns with the astrology of this moment. Let’s dig in.
The painting itself depicts King Charles in full military regalia, his hands resting on the pommel of a sword, awash in daubs of blazing crimson. It is a bold piece and breaks with the tradition of the rather staid, formal Royal portraiture. In it, he appears as if he were the King of Hell, surrounded by flames or drenched in blood. Following the painting’s release, feverish online discussion centered around the occult symbolism of the piece, as well as the purported satanic practices of the ruling elite. Mirrored images of the painting circulated online, which appeared to show a hidden image of a goat/ram, which is the head of the pagan deity Baphomet.
At this time, Venus was transiting through her own domicile, the feminine, fixed, earth sign of Taurus. Venus is the planet of love, union, pleasures of the senses, and aesthetic beauty. Venus is especially strong in her home sign of Taurus and there is a greater concern for material expressions of that which is considered beautiful. During this transit, Venus was co-present with King Charles’ natal Moon, which represents one’s body, in the 10th house of reputation, public life, and where one receives their highest honors. Here, the public presentation of an artistic rendering of one’s body, would appear to align with the astrological transits at this time. Of note also, is Venus’ conjunction with Uranus, the planet of disruption and unpredictability, which may speak to the style of the painting and its break from tradition.
Additionally, at the time of the unveiling, the fiery planet Mars was transiting through his own domicile, the masculine, cardinal, fire sign of Aries. On a personal level, Mars represents drive, ambition, and says something about how we approach conflict/competition and assert ourselves in the world. On a more macro scale, Mars represents wars, conquests, severings, and military action. Here, in his home sign of Aries, whose image is the Ram, Mars is especially combustible, and there’s an increased desire to take risks, to be bold, and to throw caution to the wind. The King’s military garb, the sea of fire and blood, the boldness of style, and the hidden symbol of the ram, would all appear to align with the astrological themes of Mars’ transit.
King Charles’ Midheaven is located in his 9th house, in the sign of Aries, where Mars was transiting. The Midheaven is a sensitive point and like the 10th house, similarly represents our public reputation and where we receive our highest honors. The 9th house represents spirituality, long-distance travel, philosophy, and publishing. Thus we see Mars’ bold expression of ambition and drive, transiting Charles’ Midheaven (representing public reputation) and 9th house of spirituality (expressed through online discussion of his alleged occult interests).
Finally, Mercury, the planet of communications, co-present with Mars, was transiting through King Charles’ 9th house of publications. Thus the planet of communications, transiting through the house of publications, would also appear to be influencing the online gossip and reporting concerning the King’s spirituality.
Whether or not the King and his family are in fact baby-eating, devil-worshipping, lizard people is beyond the scope of this piece, and may be entirely plausible or implausible, based on one’s temperament. What is worth noting however, is how the movements of the planets in their signs, as well as the themes they evoke, appear to parallel the personal events of individual lives on this earth.
