The Fixed Stars Series: #1: Spica
This is the first part of a new series on fixed stars, their meaning in astrology & their use, with examples! Today we dive into the meanings of Spica, the brightest star of the Virgo constellation.
Spica, or α Virginis, is a very bright fixed star - meaning that, unlike other observable celestial bodies, her position didn’t seem to move from year to year. Fixed stars rise & set at around the same time from year to year! Because of this, fixed star were very important to humans from the very beginning of our existence, for all sorts of things: agriculture (when to sow the crops), navigation (orienting yourself with no land in sight!), and many others!
A lot of fixed stars meanings are therefore tied to their agrarian use, and Spica is no exception. Her name signifies "sheaf of wheat", and Spica’s meaning is intimately tied to the significations of her constellation, Virgo: it is a star of abundance. In ancient astrology, fixed stars had great mythical & practical powers: tied to a native’s life story through their chart, or with their image impressed on a talisman, fixed stars could bring various auspicious things to mankind.
As an emblem of prosperity & wealth, Spica was worshipped as such: securing a bountiful harvest was a wonderful blessing, meaning that the winter may not be so harsh, and the population could be fed & acquire wealth through selling its crop. We can see the meaning of Spica through the instructions of making a talisman in her image, which according to Renaissance mage Cornelius Agrippa “increases gold, accumulates riches, brings victory in lawsuits, and frees men from evil and anguish". What a star!
Indeed, Spica is very potent in this way, and abundance is her forte. But that’s not all there is to her, and these things won’t come without a bit of work! Beyond abundance and profit, Spica brings "genius", or the brilliance necessary to bring about that very abundance. According to Bernadette Brady, Spica signifies "the gift of knowledge" and "shows brilliance" of whatever she touches in the chart. Think of an ingenious farmer who knows their land extremely well and knows how to work it in such a way that the harvest will be great.
Spica’s abundance doesn’t come from nowhere: she gives you the necessary tools and gifts to create something great for yourself. And when you use them, she rewards you 1000-fold! I like the example of Marie Curie, the first woman to receive a Nobel Prize in 1911 for her discovery of radium, a material that changed technology & medicine. Curie had Spica as her heliacal rising star, which defined the great theme of her life. Curie’s brilliance was truly a gift to humankind which ended up bringing about a wealth of other inventions, a gift that kept on giving. See the connection to Spica’s themes?
Spica is one of the 15 great Behenian stars, remarkable for their power - they are easily recognisable in the sky! Spica is a bright blue one in the Virgo constellation. The takeaway here is that Spica offers you the best resources so that you can expand on the things you’re passionate about, and brings abundance into your life that way. Be it its gemstone & colour association (emerald & emerald green), the plants it rules (sage, mugwort…), Spica is a joyful star which also helps with finding the joy & passion for things, seeing how generous life can be and giving you a drive, a goal which is fulfilling in & of itself.