Royal Stars - Fixed Stars of particular significance. There are four Royal Stars: Aldebaran, Regulus, Antares and Fomalhaut. Regulus is usually considered the "most royal", although Aldebaran has his proponents.

These stars once marked the cardinal points of the equinoxes and the solstices. They are also known as the Archangel stars being watchers of the four points of the compass.

The four royal stars were:

• Regulus (Leo) - north
• Fomalhaut (Aquarius) - south
• Antares (Scorpio) - west
• Aldebaron (Taurus) - east.

The four stars with their modern and ancient Persian names were:

Aldebaran • Alpha star marking right eye of Taurus, the Bull ~ The Follower; aka, Oculus Tauri, "Bull's Eye";"Fifth Star of the Net" in China § Ascendant (ASC) · East · Vernal Equinox (Aries 0° 3044 BC ⇒ Taurus 0° 864 BC ⇒ Gemini 0° 1298 ⇒ Gemini9° 1943 ⇒ Gemini 10° 03-Oct-2014) · Tascheter, Guardian of the Eastern Quarter: Aries, Taurus, Gemini · Archangel Michael, Archistratege of God

Regulus • Alpha star in multiple star system composed of four stars in Leo ~ Little King; aka Cor Leonis,"Heart of the Lion" § Imum Coeli (IC) · North · Summer Solstice (Cancer0° in 2344 BC ⇒ Leo 0° 156 BC ⇒ Leo 29° 1939 ⇒ Virgo 0° 29-Nov-2011) ·Venant, Guardian of the Northern Quarter: Cancer, Leo, Virgo ·Archangel Raphael, Doctor of Medicine

Antares • Alpha star in Scorpio ~ Rival of Mars; aka, Cor Scorpii§ Descendant (DSC) · West · Autumnal Equinox (Antares Libra 0° in 3050BC ⇒ Scorpio 0° 865 BC ⇒ Sagittarius 0° 1299 ⇒ Sagittarius 9° 1945 ⇒Sagittarius 10° 01-Mar-2017) · Satevis, Guardian of the Western Quarter: Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius · Archangel Uriel, Fire of God

Fomalhaut • Alpha star in the mouth of the Southern Fish, Piscis Austrinus ~ the Fish's Mouth§ Midheaven (MC) · South · Winter Solstice (Capricorn 0° 2583 BC ⇒Aquarius 0° 419 BC ⇒ Pisces 0° 1725 ⇒ Pisces 3° 1938 ⇒ Pisces 4°20-Jun-2009) · Haftorang, Guardian of the Southern Quarter: Capricorn,Aquarius, Pisces · Archangel Gabriel,Peace be upon him • Fomalhaut represents Aries Point on 620 Chart establishing EON phases during transits; it represents "Contact with public events or the world at large; being brought to public attention;interaction & comparison with “the man on the street;” awareness of public sensibility; reaction to the external world" [Treehouse Mountain]

The Royal Stars and their Associated Archangels

These stars once marked the cardinal points of the equinoxes and the solstices. They are also known as the Archangel stars being watchers of the four points of the compass. They were characterized as horses, the four horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Regulus - (the star of kings) known as being the heart of the lion in the constellation of Leo, it is the most important of these four. The healing Archangel Raphael, the watcher of the North. Certainly, in Royal nativity's, Regulus is very important, regarded almost as a planet itself.

Fomalhaut - the fish's mouth in the constellation of Pisces. The Archangel Gabriel, the watcher of the South.

Alderbaran - the left eye of the bull in the constellation of Taurus. The Archangel Michael, the watcher of the East.

Antares - the heart of the scorpion in the constellation of Scorpio. The Archangel Uriel, the watcher of the West.

Ancient Persian culture had four royal stars, their 'Guardians of the Sky'. Over each of the four different seasons of the year, one star would be prominent in the night sky, and each had its own meaning. In some cultures the four stars together represented horses, namely the fabled mounts of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Revelations). Other stories tell that each star represents one of the four Archangels.

Astronomers of the day, who were also astrologers, studied these stars for favourable alignments that they could work into their royal patrons' horoscopes. An astronomical event involving one of these royal stars occurred in the 19th Century which could have been interpreted by astrologers of the day to have foretold the birth of one of the most famous royals in history.

The Four Royal Stars

Like Regulus, Antares is also close to the ecliptic. It is a binary star system; 5th-magnitude Antares B was discovered by Professor Johann Tobias Bürg (1766 - 1834) from Vienna, Austria, on 13 April, 1819, during the time when our Moon occulted3 (completely covered) the main component. The brighter star had literally been 'outshining' the dimmer Antares B; it had always been there, we just hadn't been able to see it without the benefit of the moon's blocking position. American astronomer Mary Proctor (1862 - 1957) referred to Antares B as 'the wily companion of Antares'.

Why were four Fixed Stars considered "royal"? Aldebaron, Regulus, Antares and Fomalhaut retain their status as Royal Stars to this day among western astrologers. The tradition stems from Arabic astrology/astronomy which some see as our modern astrology's closest relation. Arabic astrology filtered through to Europe from Persia, today's Iran, thousands of years ago.

These stars were accorded such high stellar office by ancient astologers and astronomers because it is said that in those days their positions marked the four cardinal points, the equinoxes and solstices. Seen on an astrological chart of the heavens these define the ascendant, midheaven descendant,and nadir, which points are universally acknowledged as being the most powerful areas of an astrological chart. Any planet or point near to these angles plays a dominant part in personality or events.

The four stars were also referred to as Watchers of the Heavens, looked on as guardians of the Vernal and Autumnal equinoxes, and the Summer and Winter solstices.

These bright stars formed a huge astrological cross, long before the cross became a symbol of Christianity. Zodiac signs involved were the four Fixed signs: Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius. In the tarot cards The Wheel of Fortune and The World, depicted in each corner of the cards a human figure, an eagle, a bull and a lion representing the Fixed signs. While the tarot as we know it, with the Major Arcana, didn't originate in Arabia, the four suits probably did,and the number four's significance reflects the four directions, north,south, east and west, and the four astrological cardinal points. The name "tarot" is thought to derive from the Arab word "turuq", which can be translated as "four ways".

The symbolism of the four Royal Stars in ancient times is thus easy to account for and accept. However,it isn't as easy to accept that any astrological interpretation of these stars should retain the same flavour now, when their positions changed long ago.

Fixed stars, of which these are but four out of billions and billions and billions (as Carl Sagon would say) are so called in order to differentiate from the moving bodies we call planets. Fixed stars do, however, appear move but very, very slowly because of precession.

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