Thursday, August 29, 2013

Astrology and The Hunger Games Part One: 12 Districts, 12 Houses.



   Katniss, the Girl who was on Fire, is your typical Sagittarius in a lot of ways. Free-spirited, adventurous, athletic and high minded, wanting  freedom not just for herself and her loved ones, but for all of the oppressed people of Panem. And like the Centaurs of Mythology, she could point the arrow at anyone except herself. Girl had a real blind spot when it came to relationships! I mean, she could shoot an arrow into a squirrel's eyeball, but she never noticed two dudes she'd known all her life were in love with her? Anyhoo, luckily for us, the powerful Archer archetype is only a  fragment of the Astrological picture The Hunger Games Paints for us. For instance, did you ever notice there are twelve Districts of Panem, and also there are twelve signs of the Zodiac? I sure did! Read on to learn more, but be warned, spoilers abound so if you haven't read The Hunger Games Trilogy, why are you reading this? Go read The Hunger Games!

  FULL DISCLOSURE: I have no idea how Suzanne Collins feels about Astrology. I don't know whether or not she's ever spoken about Astrology publicly and I don't want to know until after I'm done writing about the Astrological symbolism that I've interpreted from her writings, because I don't want her thoughts on the subject to compromise what I perceive. My hope is that all the Astrological symbolism in this trilogy just flowed effortlessly into the riveting story she created because Astrology is all around us, affecting us constantly, whether we believe in it or not.



  DISTRICT ONE, LUXURY corresponds to LIBRA and the SEVENTH HOUSE ruled by VENUS.
  "District 1 makes the luxury goods that decorate the and beautify the great Capitol. It's excellent taste and craftsmanship keep the Capitol residents bejeweled and bedazzled year round." -Description from The Hunger Games: A Tribute's Guide. Sounds like a powerful Venus influence to me! The District One professions of perfumer, jeweler, goldsmith and hair stylist are all jobs commonly associated with Air Sign Libra and the planet Venus. When not under the duress of living in a post-apocalyptic nightmare, Librans tend to be attractive, charming and fun to be around. They love to bring beauty and balance to their surroundings. Their natural appreciation for nice things can bring out a competitive streak in some... The tributes from District One are called "careers", children who train all of their lives to compete in the Hunger Games. These tributes tend to exhibit the unpleasant, lower vibration qualities of Libra; well dressed but cocky, overconfident, sneering, severely lacking empathy. Venus also rules relationships and the District One careers tend to team up at least temporarily with careers from other districts. The books also repeatedly mention the cozy relationship between District One and the Capitol. BUT when the tide began to turn, District One was one of the first to rebel. "Open Enemies" is considered a relationship by Astrological standards, and Venus is in charge of those too!


  DISTRICT TWO, MASONRY corresponds to ARIES and the FIRST HOUSE ruled by MARS.
  The careers from District Two are always front and center whenever the Hunger Games are discussed around Panem. They are the fierce, warlike celebrities of the Hunger Games. District Two is also where weapons are manufactured (Mars rules metal and weapons) and Peacekeepers are trained (Mars/Aries rules soldiers and militias. Fiery Areans aren't always violent but they tend to be competitive, assertive, powerful, prideful, and (can be) quick to anger. (Like when Cato broke that poor boy's neck!) Cato and Clove are textbook lower vibration Areans, bloodthirsty, with ego to spare and totally lacking compassion. Gale, who seems to have the soul of a soldier, later relocates to District Two.



  DISTRICT THREE, TECHNOLOGY corresponds to GEMINI and the THIRD HOUSE ruled by        
  MERCURY.
  District Three Specializes in computers, televisions, and other electronics that people use for communication as well as entertainment. Mercury rules all forms of communication and electronics, and Airy Gemini is the great communicator of the Zodiac. What the tributes of District Three lack in brawn, they make up for in brainpower, as evidenced by the tribute from the first book who booby trapped the cornucopia with landmines. In Catching Fire, Katniss observes that the members of District Three actually seem happy to see her on her victory tour. It's implied that this is because they're ready for a change. Mercury, the trickster of the Zodiac is a restless soul who craves discord, and many citizens of District Three aided in the Rebellion. A Mutable Sign, Gemini tends to embrace change better than most. Gemini and the Third House also rule sibling relationships. While non-biologically related, Wiress and Beetee's bond in Catching Fire had a touching, familial quality and they shared a better than average ability to understand each other's thoughts and feelings. Wiress's later involvement in smart weapon design illustrates that Mercury is by nature amoral and that a strongly placed Mercury can make anyone a little too emotionless.



  DISTRICT FOUR, FISHING corresponds to PISCES and the TWELFTH HOUSE ruled by NEPTUNE
  District 4 supplies seafood to the capital. They are agile swimmers and gifted with the use of nets and tridents. District Four is one of the wealthier districts of Panem which just goes to show money can't buy sanity, AMIRITE? District Four clearly CLEARLY corresponds to the planet Neptune and the Watery sign Pisces. Neptune rules dreams, intuition, madness, and institutions, but also healing and recovery. The Twelfth house rules hidden enemies which is why Finnick O'Dair was able to spend so much time with Capitol folk, despite his secret hatred of them. Pisceans are notoriously attractive as evidenced by super handsome Finnick and his lovely lady soul Annie Cresta with the long flying hair. The duress of the Games and the revolution took their toll on the psyches of these two,  but their love and devotion to the other never wavered. All Pisces are born romantics. One of the Gifts of Neptune is empathy which means 'to suffer with' so it's no surprise that Annie votes against a potential Hunger Games between children of the Capitol, and said that Finnick would agree.



  DISTRICT FIVE, POWER corresponds to AQUARIUS and the ELEVENTH HOUSE ruled by
  URANUS.
  From The Hunger Games: A Tribute's Guide: "Electric, solar and nuclear- District 5 harnesses the energy of the the earth and sky to power our great nation." That sounds like Uranus to me! Less is known about District Five, but what we do know sounds very Aquarian.  District Five is the smallest district and I've written before that Airy Aquarius is the least common sign. (Maybe. I Googled it.) "Foxface" from the first book hailed from District Five and she had that intelligent, lone wolf quality that may Aquarians possess. In Catching Fire, the tributes don't even bother to show up to training. A another approach to the Aquarian "Go your own way" sensibility. But that's the thing about Aquarians, they're full of surprises!


  DISTRICT SIX, TRANSPORTATION corresponds to CAPRICORN and the TENTH HOUSE ruled
  by SATURN,
  Not much is written about District Six, but there seems to be a district wide morphling addiction epidemic. Even by Panem standards, it seems like a really miserable place. That's why I placed them in the Earth Sign Capricorn, making Saturn, the planet of pain, fear and discipline their natural ruler. It's also been said that Capricorns are born with the hardest path ahead of them. It's also said that Capricorns are capable of the highest achievement. Maybe if the regime they suffered under wasn't so oppressive, the people of District Six could have risen up together and been great. Unable to live with the knowledge that their highest potential (Tenth House) could ever be reached, many if not all, of the citizens of District Six chose to numb their pain with opiates. But lets's not forget the female tribute from District Six in the Seventy Fifth Games who sacrificed her own life to spare Peeta, and by extension, the Rebellion.  Capricorn rules sacrifice and hard decisions, and Saturn helps us see the big picture.




  DISTRICT SEVEN, LUMBER corresponds to LEO and the FIFTH HOUSE ruled by THE SUN.
  Little is known about District Seven, but we do know that Johanna Mason, the diva of the Hunger Games hails from there. Feisty, Fiery Johanna has many Leonine qualities. She won her first Games by spending the first half pretending to be weak, afraid and fatigued, when in reality she was incredibly proficient with an ax.(Fifth House rules theater and acting.) When her fellow players least expected it, a deadly lioness emerged, and she went on to win. We first meet Johanna in Catching Fire when she strips down to her green slippers in the elevator with Katniss and Peeta, a bold, sassy move that I'm sure fellow Leo Madonna would approve of. We later learn Johanna is impervious to the Jabberjay torture (birds imitating the sound of tributes' loved ones) because everyone she loves is dead. Fifth house rules love and the Sun controls the Heart, so we know Johanna has suffered indeed. In Mockingjay, we learn that the death of all of Johanna's loved ones was a cruel punishment meted out by President Snow because she wouldn't agree to prostitute herself to the highest bidders of the Capitol. Her refusal to sell her body demonstrates the uncompromising inner nobility known to Leos.(The sign of royalty.) The fact that she voted in favor of a Hunger Games between the children of the Capitol shows that Leos (especially Leo women) sure know how to hold a grudge!



  DISTRICT EIGHT, TEXTILES corresponds to VIRGO and the SIXTH HOUSE ruled by MERCURY.
  District Eight is one the poorest, Districts of Panem. Even Katniss, from District Twelve is taken aback by the squalor of  District Eight on her victory tour. Down to Earth Sixth House emphasizes a simple way of life,and hard work, but jeez. Detail oriented Virgo is said to rule the Fiber Arts, because of it's meticulous, detail oriented nature. Virgo rules obedience, so it's no surprise that Peacekeeper uniforms are also manufactured here. Dutiful as they are, Virgos are also they moral compass of the Zodiac and have a keen sense of fairness, which is probably why they were one of the first districts to rebel. Their life is a pretty stark contrast to the hedonism of the Capitol. Comrade Paylor  is the efficient leader of District Eight, and later a good soldier during the Rebellion. In Mockingjay, she grants Katniss an audience with President Snow because she feels like Katniss earned it. As we know, Comrade Paylor eventually becomes President of all of Panem. The story line about a leader of a very poor district becoming the leader of all the districts as a result of hard work and general decency is a true Virgoan parable.



  DISTRICT NINE, GRAIN corresponds to CANCER and the FOURTH HOUSE ruled by THE MOON.
  District Nine is probably the most mysterious district of the Hunger Games books.Watery Cancer is the sign of the Mother, and District Nine reminds me of  Demeter, the Goddess of Motherhood and the Harvest who went into a mourning that left the Earth barren when her daughter was taken from her. Cancers tend to be non-aggressive, gentle souls which is probably why their tributes fair so poorly in the games. It is also speculated in the books that the tributes of District Nine are out of their element in the Games because they have very little access to nature where they live. The Moon/Fourth House rules home and family of origin, So it is probably particularly poignant and painful  for the parents of District Nine to lose their children to the reapings year after year, knowing there is very  little hope for their return.



  DISTRICT TEN, LIVESTOCK corresponds to TAURUS and the SECOND HOUSE ruled by VENUS.
  "The gentle lowing of cattle is the first thing a visitor to District 10 hears. The region raises strong, healthy livestock, which becomes the meat that helps us raise strong, healthy children of Panem." -Description from The Hunger Games: A Tribute Guide. We don't know much about District Ten either, but we do know that it's considered to be a poorer district. Earthly Taurus rules Agriculture.  Many of the jobs of District Ten, rancher, breeder, and farmer are all professions ruled by Taurus. No mention is made of District Ten celebrities from any of the past Games, which goes to show most sensual Taureans are lovers, not fighters.



  DISTRICT ELEVEN, AGRICULTURE corresponds to SAGITTARIUS and the NINTH HOUSE ruled
  BY JUPITER.
  District Eleven specializes in Agriculture, and their day to day life sounds pretty grueling, up at dawn harvesting food for the people of the Capitol while their own children did without. The workers of District Eleven were able to communicate with each other in the orchards by singing tones that the Jabberjays would imitate. Part of why I assigned  Fiery Sagittarius to the Eleventh house is that spending all day in the forest communicating with birds was a pretty typical activity for the Centaurs of Greek Mythology. Rue's climbing and Thresh's strength illustrate the athleticism that Sagittarians are known for. Rue's knowledge of herbs falls into the Ninth House realm of Healing Wisdom. Rue and Katniss form an alliance that Thresh later honors. Jupiter and the Ninth House Rule Law, so of course noble Sag would take an agreement like that seriously. Sagittarians tend to have a childlike, imaginative sweetness that allows them to easily identify with and interact with children. So it's no surprise that the people of District Eleven were one of the first to rebel when they realized they couldn't live with the pain of losing more children.



  DISTRICT TWELVE, MINING ( LATER) MEDICINE    corresponds to SCORPIO and the EIGHTH
  HOUSE ruled by PLUTO.
  District Twelve the is the most remote district have Panem, and also the poorest. So it makes perfect sense (to me) that Pluto the smallest and most remote Planet in our system would be their Ruling Planet. Scorpio/Eighth House rules transformation and coal falls into that category because it's a rock that can be transformed into heat/energy. Coal mining is actually a very Scorpionic profession because it is inherently dangerous/ deadly and Pluto/ Scorpio also rules death, the biggest transformation of all.
  After the Second Rebellion, the industry of District Twelve becomes medicine. This illustrates the Shamanic path of the Scorpio. Scorpios are born with the ability to transcend the darkest depths of their origin, rising up, healing themselves and then others.
  The Eighth House also rules Secrets and Sexuality. Specifically secrets of a sexual nature and repressed sexuality. Katniss and Gale have a secret attraction to the other that neither acknowledges verbally. By the time they're ready to act on those urges, they can't because of Katniss' "engagement" to Peeta. The two eventually share a kiss because we all know sexual energy can only be repressed for so long. Peeta's slow burning crush on Katniss and his father's secret love of Katniss' mom also fall into this category. Scorpios are the survivors of the Zodiac which explains why Gale tells Peeta that Katniss will eventually choose the one of them that she "can't live without". Scorpios don't hide from the truth!

  Now Katniss is in many ways your typical Sagittarius, but she hails from Plutonian District Twelve. And she is definitely a survivor. It seems worth mentioning that many "young adults" right now (The target audience for the Hunger Games series) were born when Pluto was in Sagittarius. (1995-2008) Pluto in our chart shows where/how we are meant to transform ourselves,  and since Pluto stays in each sign for so long Astrologers like to speculate about the ways the various "Pluto Generations" will transform the world. Pluto in Sagittarius is considered to be "The Visionary Generation" likely to question everything, be risk takers, but also natural humanitarians. Astrologers are also speculating that this generation will challenge or even possibly remove the infrastructures of agencies and industries that no longer serve us. A generation of Katnisses? One can only hope!