By Jennie Harbour {{PD}}

A little Saturday night reading, from a 2013 ECLIPSE, though it seems just as timely today. I’ll return in a few days with an example of the Cinderella Point; the original article used someone not widely seen, anymore, so didn’t seem relevant for now.

Considering all that’s going on in the world, you may wonder why I came up with this topic, as if we’re all sitting around, idly wondering about our spiritual ‘G’ spot! It’s precisely at times crowded with outrageous and inexplicable events and confusing outcomes that we can really use a little something that will cut through the clutter and be both rewarding and purposeful–and something I will, for now, call your Cinderella point, is just that kind of answer to an unasked question.

The Cinderella fable, more or less as we know it today, serves as a template for this exploration, in large part because this story connects the dots between experiential energies in the natal chart–and this is so for men or women–and shows us a point or set of energy interactions that may catapult us to the next level. It also has the benefit of re-focusing our attention at a personal level–my sense is that many of us have been so distracted by events outside ourselves that we’ve lost an appropriate personal focus, one that keeps us aware of ourselves within the context of the world, rather than leaving us feeling we’re at the mercy of it, or making us so defensively Self-focused that we fuss and demand and end up unsatisfied, grabbing the wrong things in an attempt to assuage the bombardment of hurt we seem perpetually to be under.

The story goes like so: the central character, Cinderella (the Soul) lives in squalor in the confines of a splendid house (our earthly circumstances, and the surrounding nature/ the world), having ‘lost’ her father/ protector (awareness of our connection to the Divine, and our difficulty accepting that the connection is vital and alive, no matter how separated we seem to be-this can also be our connection to ourselves as part of Nature, or as part of the Cosmos) and under the auspices of a stepmother (mundane matters). The stepsisters are all those things we serve, those things that keep us running but that don’t replenish us; they represent the demands of our existence, the ones we believe are essential, but that really aren’t. The fairy godmother can be the Universe/ God, or something more prosaic, like ‘luck’ (but then we don’t really believe in luck, do we? We can call it synchronicity or timing or Providence, if we like that better), or the helping hand of another, especially of someone who is in a position to provide something you can’t. The ball is opportunity, showing ourselves and our talents to our best advantage, on whatever stage life affords us. The Prince is the opportunity that is just right for us; he does not represent an actual human or circumstance that will ‘rescue’ us from our current life, but is instead a chance for us to elevate ourselves and our expression, a chance to take the place only the Soul can adequately conceptualize (it’s the old idea that the Universe can have much more or much better in store for us than we are capable of imagining ourselves!)

So why does Cinderella run from the ball? She doesn’t want the Prince to know who she really is; she doesn’t believe she is ‘enough’, just as she exists. She doesn’t really have a clear Self-identity; she is not a person in her own right, but always seen in a role in connection to others: servant, step-relation, critical target. She is aware that her fancy facade lasts for a limited time; her appearance will lose its enhanced trappings and return to its modest origins on the stroke of midnight. She puts too much value on appearances, and shows a lack of faith in the Universe by believing that she will be rejected for the ‘new role’ if she is seen for who she is–she is projecting her own beliefs, making the assumption that the world shares her standard of judgment. This perfectly describes our own typical response to opportunity that will bring us to the next level, that will allow us to shine:  we present ourselves in what we think is our best guise, secretly believing we are not up to the challenge, in fact believing that we will be rejected if we don’t pretend to be other than we are.

You’ll recall, though, that unlike the rest of her clothing, Cinderella’s glass slippers don’t change back; she loses one on the steps as she flees, and it doesn’t turn back into her sensible loafer, but retains its magical substance. This suggests two things:  that even the experience of presenting ourselves under an idealized guise changes us, and in particular changes the foundation on which we stand (behaving as if what we want is already true); and, the way the glass slippers remain says that this is the right role–otherwise, the shoe wouldn’t fit. So, the glass slippers act as a direct message both to the Prince, who finds the shoe, recognizes it as Cinderella’s, and knows to seek the person for whom this is exactly right, and to Cinderella, that the elevated experience is indeed both real and attainable, perfect for her, that in fact this experience is actually seeking her out–she’s attracting what she’s meant to do.

So what in the chart can lead us to that Cinderella moment of realization, a knowing about the direction our life must take and the role we must play? What combination leads us to our own elevation, and so inevitably to the purpose of our Soul’s incarnation in the first place? We start with the Sun, of course, as the Soul Purpose and also principal identity indicator–however, not everyone sees themselves chiefly in the Sun–a male may identify more with Mars and a female with Venus, particularly if that male is an Aries Sun, or that female is a Taurus or Libra Sun, or Sun conjunct Mars or Venus, respectively, in any sign–but there are also those who center their identity in the Moon (those who see themselves in the main as sensitives, before anything else, or those who see themselves mainly in nurturing or mothering roles), and there are those who identify with their Ascendant–these are typically very outgoing individuals who are all about how they meet the world–it’s a little bit like a constant collision for them, so they may focus their viewpoint strongest through the sign on the Ascendant degree. A very few may take to Jupiter (teacher) or Chiron (healer), but neither of these should be worn full-time as a main identity (when looking from the inside out, back at yourself), so if that’s where you are drawn I would ask that you consider there is probably another of the already-mentioned bodies that is actually more suitable–of course, there will be exceptions to this, too.

Though it may seem like we’re all over the map with identity matters, we can’t underestimate the importance of allowing individuals to Self-identify when it comes to what energies they resonate with, despite my above warning. It would be naive to believe that everyone identifies most strongly with their Sun; instead, we allow for the idea that individuals may ‘live through’ various portions of the chart at different stages of life–or that for some, another energy will just beckon more strongly,such as in the instance of response to the Sun’s ruler, rather than the Sun itself. This process in general of finding the Cinderella point is quite loose; don’t expect a cut-and-dried formula–that would deny the great variety within human nature, and make things pretty boring, to boot!

Once we determine where our identity lies in the chart, we will want to locate the other ideas, players, or concepts, and see how they relate to our principal identity indicator. The earthly circumstances are centered in the Earth itself, always directly opposite the Sun, and secondarily in Saturn, which generally stands for all mundane matters, as well as things that control us (the stepmother), including our fears. The God/ Universe concept and our separation may be outlined by Vesta, or may, especially for those who identify with bodies other than the Sun, be found in the Sun, suggesting that for these individuals, the Cinderella moment involves moving back toward the Soul Purpose, as defined by our Solar placement.

The ball may be represented by Jupiter, as the expanded personal stage found on the social scene, or Uranus, if we are drawn to a role within a group, or conversely, if we find a big part of our identity in isolation or rebellion. The Prince is opportunity tailor-made for us–and likely is indicated by transit, Secondary Progression, or Solar Arc of featured energies in the chart, i.e. those that are prominent and obviously rule important life matters. The character of these may also be suggested by the 8th House, both the state of the ruler of the sign on the cusp and anything posited therein, because the 8th shows us the support we can expect from others, and by the 10th, which can suggest those authorities who may be significant to our career or status, and the glass slipper–oh yes, even this can be found in the chart!–is likely related to matters of the House with Pisces on the cusp (the sign of feet!) or is described by Mercury (he of winged feet). Those things blocking our direct understanding of our Divine connection, and so our Divine mission, may be signified by Chiron, Saturn, or possibly Neptune, if he is in a position that suggests he’s more about obscuring the view than inspiring the individual, or could be suggested by any hard aspects of bodies to the Sun or to the chosen identity indicator.

Though you may feel hopelessly lost at this point, drowning in details, we’ll walk through an example in a day or three–you’ll see that we must be flexible, and also ready to be a bit unconventional, in forming some ideas about what might offer us true opportunity to what we’re meant to do, and so re-connect us (good to ponder now, during Merc retro) with the Divine. We musn’t be afraid to edit concepts to fit reality, and to turn on a dime, should we find a theory unworkable–otherwise, how useful would astrology be? We must remember that the Cinderella point will for some be found in a role, for some in action, for some in acceptance of who they really are by others, and for still others it could entail taking a completely unexpected turn, but for every single person, it starts with Self-acceptance–remembering our Divine connection means we will be willing to appear at the ball as we are–only then will efforts be meaningful, and fulfillment a real possibility.