Of another Empress Elisabeth.....

 Most people one meets will tell you that FaceBook is declining in popularity and is losing many subscribers daily. I know this to be true and I can understand why. However, as an astrologer I find it useful to follow other astrologers' pages, or even pages to do with the 'today in history' type. In this respect, I find FB a very useful resource. 

Last week, with the death of Queen Elisabeth  II, FB presented a highly interesting piece of information about the Empress Sissi (Sisi), as she was known. I'm old enough to have grown up on a diet of foreign films, largely by watching Italian stations as they were the only ones available (apart from our local TV stations) at the time. What I knew about Empress Sissi was that she was, as interpreted by the actress Romy Schneider, a carefree and very young German princess who married the Archduke Franz of Austria (interpreted by KarlHeinz Bohm).

I love these moments when information is presented and I think.... hang on... what is the connection? All I knew about Sissi was the information presented through her interpretation of the character, as well as the written script, which, more often than not, has plenty of sugar coatings. Her life was far from easy, as one might suspect when one is inducted into a rigid and very royal family structure. I knew about the 'Mayerling Incident' but did not connect it to Sissi; her son Rudolph, heir to the Austrio-Hungarian throne, committed suicide with his lover in 1889. Sissi had also lost a two year-old daughter called Sophie to an illness. Lastly, her mother-in-law took over the upbringing of Sissi's children, which broke her heart. 

What I absolutely had no idea about was how Sissi died. On the 10th of September, 1898, the Empress was walking from the Hotel Beau-Savage in Geneva, to take a boat across Lake Geneva to Montreaux, when an anarchist by the name of Luigi Lucheni rushed up and stabbed her in the chest, piercing the heart. Because of her love for tight corsets, she did not die on the spot. Details of this incident are available online if you type into a search engine. Her funeral took place on the 17th September 1898. 

Two Elizabeth/Elisabeth's, both queens/empresses pass away in September, one on the 8th in 2022, the other on the 10th in 1898. It was tempting to compare their birth charts as it is the sort of thing astrologers do - to see if any of their planets and luminaries (Sun and Moon) form interesting aspects. It's fascinating how many planets form aspects. Both Eliz/sabeth's Saturns are in the same degree - 24 degrees of Scorpio! Whereas the Queen of England's Saturn is on the Midheaven, highest point in the sky at the time of birth, and indicates her status as an authority figure (QEII had a Capricorn Ascendant therefore Saturn was Lord of the chart), in Sissi's chart, Saturn is conjunct the Moon in the part of the chart to do with communication. This tells us that Sissi would experience motherhood (Moon) with restrictions (Saturn). Her biography informs us that she was the 4th of 10 children.  A Moon/Saturn aspect suggests that as a child, she may have had a somewhat less than affectionate relationship with her mother (well, she did have to deal with another nine). Later in life, her own mother-in-law embodied that Moon/Saturn aspect, when she took over the upbringing of Sissi's children. 

On the other hand, Sissi's Jupiter is on the Ascendant, suggesting that she would be seen by others as a benevolent person, someone who loves travel and knowledge. If you read her biography, you would see how she was crucial in securing the hearts of the people of Hungary with her charm and her ability to communicate in their native tongue.

The actress who famously portrayed Sissi's character, Romy Scheider, was born on the 23rd September, 1938, in Vienna Austria. Following in the footsteps of other astrologers who compare the data of actors and the people they portray in film/TV (check out Alex Trenoweth's book, "Mirror,Mirror", Romy's Neptune (TV/Film) portrayed an idealistic (Neptune) picture of Sissi's life. The reality is that due to Sissi's father's liberal views, Sissi grew up largely unfettered by the norms of royal etiquette. Living in Bavaria, she enjoyed the kind of freedom that court aristocrats did not. 

Another connection between these two is not described by astrological charts, but by both their challenges brought on by what life throws at you. Their characters were undoubtedly very different and yet both appear to have had a kind of authenticity which life did not corrode. They both did not have an easy ride. Both Sissi and Romy Schneider lost sons; Romy lost a 14 year-old son in an accident. Romy's relationships are well documented; she had a relationship with Alain Delon who left her for another which led her to self-harm. In 1966 she married the director Harry Meyen, who was tortured by the Nazis for being a half-Jew, and eventually took his own life. Romy died of what is believed to be a heart attack. 

Whether you are a queen, or an actress, or the tea lady of the local bocci  (bowls) club, the only difference is that as the tea lady, your life is not public knowledge. The experiences, however, are the same. 

I hope you enjoyed this bit of trivia. 

Blessings, 

Cindy