The Rise & Fall of Game of Thrones

Could astrology have predicted the stratospheric rise & brutal fall of one or the most popular TV shows ever? GoT premiered nearly 12 years ago, and its chart is clearly a case study for astrologers! I will use the date & time of GoT’s premiere for this purpose. This chart is absolutely fascinating as it illustrates both the plot of the show and its popularity/reception by its audience. Let’s dive in!

The astrological chart of Game of Throne’s premiere.

I. THE PLOT

This chart has a Scorpio rising, making Mars its ruler in traditional astro. This is immediately something that catches the eye: Mars is the planet of warfare, blood, killings, strife & discord. GoT is pretty much… all about this, and the show actually got its reputation and ‘identity’ from this fact: the show was not only extremely violent, but didn’t hesitate to kill key characters - something that was truly unseen before. In this chart, Mars is extremely strong: the ruler of the chart (giving the show its look & identity), Mars is not only in his domicile of Aries (strong & powerful), but also “rejoices” in the 6th house - planets have an affinity for certain houses, where they are granted extra gifts. This is the case for Mars which rejoices in the 6th house of enemies, subordinates & servitude. This means that Mars is extra well positioned to grant the show its qualities (in addition to being in a night chart, which Mars prefers). A malefic, tricky planet to work with, Mars is at his peak here - an incredible boost which came to be a pivot for the show’s story.

There are multiple indications that this show is centred on both royalty & their battle for the throne, but also outsiders and those who have nothing: the exalted Sun in Aries rules the Midheaven & 10th house, which signify kings, reputation & honours. The Sun normally doesn’t do too well in the 6th house, a house where he doesn’t have visibility. But he makes a 3°10’ trine to the MC, an aspect traditionally thought to “raise up” a planet. In the 6th house of servitude, the exalted Sun brings together the themes of royalty & extreme power through warfare (Sun ruled by a domicile Aries Mars) and difficult themes such as slavery & misery (6th house), or the horrors of war & violence. These themes came to be particularly appreciated by the audience. A typical exemple of this is Daenerys, who went from being a fallen heir sold in quasi-slavery to a foreign king by her brother (Mars rules over siblings in Vedic astro!) (6th house themes), to a powerful queen who liberated enslaved people (Aries Sun) to a mad, blood-thirsty queen who was eventually murdered by an ally (6th house + Mars themes, hidden enemies).

Another important placement is Saturn. In the chart, Saturn is actually also in great shape: ruled by an exalted Venus, he is himself exalted in Libra & rejoicing in the 12th house. Saturn represents extreme cold & austerity, things that are harsh, old, isolation & wisdom. Although representing misery, he also represents things that are enduring & ultimately triumph. Interestingly, Saturn rules the 3rd house of the chart (siblings + local environment), and the 4th house of family, roots, clans & ancestry. This is fascinating because Saturn represents the North in the show, and specifically Bran Stark. Out of all the siblings (3H) and royal families (4H), Bran triumphs & ultimately becomes king, although he is disabled & isolated for a long time. The wisdom & powers he gains in the North, in the middle of extreme cold and through long periods of solitude in the form of a raven are the ultimate Saturnine symbols! I find the tight opposition between Mars & Saturn in the chart extremely telling: a wise outsider (12H Saturn) ultimately triumphs over the other families (Saturn ruled 4th house) who ends up killing each other through their thirst for blood & power (6H Mars). Wow! The book series is also called ‘A Song of Ice & Fire’. Ice = Saturn, Fire = Mars ❄️🔥 The lesson here is that the one who ultimately won the battle is the one who stood the test of time. Not the most popular, but the one with longevity… intestine with an exalted, rejoicing Saturn 🪐

Another funny element of the chart is Venus: she is also extremely dignified, exalted in Pisces, in the house of her joy (5H). Traditionally, Venus rules over pleasure, beauty, sex & sex workers (she was associated with prostitutes in Ancient Rome). The sexual elements of the show are also what made it famous, including nudity but also controversial scenes of SA - levels of sex & violence in GoT which were simply unseen before on TV. Venus in the chart makes these themes prominent & extremely noticeable (she rules the Moon in Libra, associated with audiences & repudiation). But Venus is also in the triplicity, term AND decan of Mars - as we said before, the planet associated with violence, lewdness etc. So the sexual themes depicted in GoT are very extreme, in-your-face and scandalous - for that, the chart simply makes sense! Venus is also at the bending of the Nodes (90° from each Lunar Node), making her even more prominent & dramatic in that sense. Sex sells!

There’s a million other themes we could dig in, but I wanted to expose the major storylines of the chart in relation to the plot. Now, what made GoT so popular… and its fall so hard?

II. PUBLIC RECEPTION

The chart of GoT’s premiere not only has indications about its plot, but also about its reception & acclaim. It also contains precious lessons as to what makes a good (= auspicious) timing in astrology & how you can use those lessons for your own projects.

In electional astrology (the art of choosing an auspicious moment to start something, but one that fits to the nature of the project), the chart ruler is very important because it’s what gives the project its “flavour” and will ultimately dictate whether it’ll be successful. As I said, chart ruler Mars is super well placed (in domicile ♈️, rejoicing, in a night chart). The ascendant itself is Martial, and a fixed sign (Scorpio), indicating a good fit between the launch & project. Another element is the 10H of recognition & reputation, ruled by an exalted Sun. The chart features both Jupiter & the Sun in the 3rd decan of Aries, a decan known for its “dramatic”, show-stopping quality. With all of these planets in the cardinal sign of Aries, We have something akin to gunpowder: immense, FAST success. GoT became very popular, very quickly (cardinal signs bring quick, spectacular starts, but often not long-lasting).

With the planet of popularity (the Sun) ruling over the MC, it’s not surprising that that the show was such an immense hit. The exalted, rejoicing Pisces Venus in the chart also contributed to this: people were fascinated by the nudity & overt sexuality on display. Another great element that made the show’s renown is its screenplay’s complexity & mystery: the planets in the 6th & 12th house, including the malefics are key testimonies. The (unexpected) violence & surprises & lack of visibility had a lot of people come up with theories and kept the public wanting more. The full Moon in the 12th highlights this dramatic play between extreme visibility & constant enigma & hidden plots.

But this is ultimately what contributed to the downfall of the show.

I would say that GoT cleverness & the active contribution by its makers & author George R. R. Martin are represented both by the Sun (intelligence, ruler of the 10H) and Mercury (writing). They are both in the 6th house, in Aries. Mercury isn’t in the best shape in this chart: retrograde, just separating from a harsh opposition & conjunction to the malefics, combust. Ouch! Over time, and particularly in the last seasons, audiences started complaining about the decrease in writing quality. Characters & storylines became more & more incoherent or bizarre. As I said, cardinal signs do well in fast, rapid actions, but not so much on the long run. I think the abundance of cardinal energy here (6 traditional planets out of 7 in cardinal signs!) are what ultimately impaired the show’s longevity.

Another aspect is the harsh opposition between the two malefics, Saturn & Mars. Although (as I said before) that works great for the plot, this is a very harsh aspect that can bring alienation and unpopularity. The ultimate winner (Bran) being represented by Saturn, it’s also not surprising that the ending was extremely unpopular & confusing to the public. 🪐 represents isolation, infamy & negative things, so that tracks. It’s also interesting that Saturn is in the bounds of Mercury = unpopular end due to bad writing! With the full Moon + malefics in the 6th & 12th houses (dark houses), it’s perhaps not as surprising that the show was quickly forgotten after this bad ending. In light of all these elements, GoT’s quick rise & fall are maybe more understandable now.

There are different lessons to be learned from this: relying on the malefics, if they are well placed and correspond to the project can be a successful endeavour - but do not expect it to be long-lasting! A show like GoT could also have benefitted from more fixed energy (more planets in fixed signs). At the same time, the show’s controversial & shocking worked extremely well for the public. When choosing an auspicious chart for a project, it’s important to keep time in mind: how fast do we want this to be? How about longevity? As GoT premiered nearly 12 years ago, we are in the middle of the show’s Jupiter return - we recently experienced a Jupiter cazimi, a similar configuration as GoT’s chart. I think the series is a fantastic teaching moment in how we can make the malefics work for us, and how a good show’s plot will be reflected in its astrology.

Thank you so much for reading through! If this was of interest, I offer consultations, including electional ones to help you choose the most auspicious time to start important projects (like… writing a screenplay, or the premiere of a show 👀). More info here 👇