Asteroid Atropos

Asteroid Atropos 273 is a main belt Asteroid discovered in Vienna on March 8 1888. She is the third dark aspect of the three fates. Atropos is the cutter of the cord of life and her Roman equivalent is Morta, Italian for death. So very final then! According to Demetra George “Her position in the birth chart shows how and where we bring our fate to it’s inevitable conclusion and how we cut the life thread when we experience endings, loss, closure and death.”[1]

Astronomical data: Atropos has diameter of just 29km and it has an orbital period of approximately 3.8 years. The meaning of the word is “the inevitable”, and what is impossible to put aside. It’s namesakes include the poison Atropo Belladonna or “Deadly Nightshade” and an ominous looking yellow and black moth called Acherontia Atropos or “Deaths Head Hawkmoth” There is even a skull motif on its thorax. It was regarded as an evil omen.

This moth is a thief and opportunist, it steals nectar from the honeybee. So Atropos is a scavenger, like the raven, and associated with both death and magic. Scavengers are looked down upon, but they are  essential as natures  recyclers and  rubbish collectors. Maybe Atropos in the chart burns off once any for all any left over festering karma.

Asteroid Atropos Horoscope

How appropriate then the standout aspect in the discovery chart is Saturn the grim reaper square cutting Mars (Atropos’s evil sheers). The two malefic’s are in a very tight square of just 03’! They are also both retrograde which again suggests the wheel of karma and the cycle of life. 

Atropos’ chart see’s both the Sun and the Moon attached to Dark Goddesses. We have the Sun conjunct Eris. My “Queen of Chaotic fate.”  This shows the terror of Atropos. Death can be so random and unfair.

Moon is square Ceres too. The potion (or poison)-making witch. Moon square Ceres: “ can turn very easily destroy life instead of saving it, they can love so hard and hug so tightly that they end up squeezing the life out of their loved ones.” There is a parasitic, vampiric element to Atropos.

The last sentence is important, because we need to remember that after death comes new life. If your belief system allows you to re-cycle, then you will not be so fearful of Atropos and will see each ending as a new beginning. As for Atropos herself, she is at 5º Virgo 31’ which puts her in a weird aspect pattern that has her square the God of Hell (Pluto), trine the Witch (Ceres/Lilith), and quincunx the Moon. To me it actually does look like scissors!, but the Hubers call this pattern “The Runner”:

“Reflex mechanisms were learnt back in childhood that could develop into addictions to certain actions and activities. This figure just needs to be nudged at one corner and it springs to life….

This one is always getting into conflicts ( the squares V trines) Prehaps one is projecting something into the world (Trines) that does not suit it. Many people react to this by taking refuge in their work (Workoholics), or depending on the planets, sport or sex”[3]

Here the refuge looks more like sex and drugs with Lilith/Ceres/Pluto. Lilith/Ceres are on  Sheratan in the randy ram, this star is makes it subjects “Daredevils and bold, danger is indicated when acting impulsively and in a foolhardy way.” I have seen the dark side of Ceres connected to opiates.

Like Atropos, opiates can suck the life out of you and also dehydrate. Mars square Saturn at it’s very worst is petrified, so becomes a zombie. If  the refuge is sex addiction, it will be one of those parasitic relationships that drain you of your money or energy, or both. In worst cases someone literally could be the death of you.

Asteroid Atropos in Davison Charts

Atropos Hard Aspects

Whitney Houston/Bobby Brown Atropos conjunct Pluto/Uranus in the 8th house trine Mars. Sex addiction?
Amy Winehouse/Blake Atropos square Moon. Bad habits.
Edward VIII/Wallis Simpson Atropos conjunct Venus square Uranus. Love killed any chance of Edward becoming King, but they lived to a ripe old age together in exile (Uranus).
The Beckhams Atropos square Venus/Mars. Death to gender!
Prince Charles/Diana Atropos quincunx Sun. Ended because of royals.
Mackenzie Phillips/John Atropos quincunx Ceres. Ended because of family ties.
Ryan O’Neal/Fawcett Atropos square Pluto/Nodes
Sonny/Cher Atropos conjunct Moon

Atropos Soft Aspects

Elizabeth Barratt/ Robert Browning Atropos sextile Ceres in a Yod to North Node. In this case good death! Elizabeth was practically imprisoned by her illness her domineering father. Her relationship with Robert put her on course to her North Node. Sex meant death to the tie to her father.
Sid Vicious/Nancy Spungen Atropos trine Moon maintained the status-quo of a toxic relationship. The only way out was death.
Prince William/Kate Middleton Atropos trine Moon also!
Adolf Hitler/Eva Braun Atropos sextile Uranus. Sudden ending
John Lennon/Yoko Ono Atropos sextile Mars. Sudden ending.
Paul Newman/Woodward Atropos sextile Sun.
The Clintons Atropos trine Sun.
Brad Pitt/ Angelina Jolie Atropos trine Saturn

I was surprised how much Atropos cropped up in what I considered decent soulmate relationships, it tended to be in soft aspect though. There is obviously a karmic theme. Maybe the partners become each other’s drug and refuge, or they help each other out of toxic behaviour. Depending on the planets involved, one partner could feed off the life-force of the other and be too much of a drain.

Synastry connections to the Davison will help determine which partner is the vampiric Atropos. If the connection is made conscious however, the “Life force” partner could actually heal and transform the “vampire” with love. The couple must be very aware and evolved though, in order for this aspect not to descend into co-dependency. Another possibility of course is Atropos will show how the couple finally part.

Find Asteroid Atropos in Your Chart

1. Create your chart HERE.
2. Choose “Extended Chart Selection”.
3. In “additional asteroids or hypothetical planets”, add 273.

1. Finding our way through the Dark, Demetra George Pg 88
2. Aspect pattern Astrology, Bruno & Louise Huber, Michael Alexander Huber. P 221.

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