The Virgin of Guadalupe The Astrology of a National Symbol The
Virgin of Guadalupe is the female face of the divine who has the
most followers in the Western world. Her shrine in Mexico City
receives 20 million visitors per year, many more than Fátima
(Portugal) or Lourdes (France). Only St. Peter's Basilica in
Rome receives more pilgrims in the Catholic tradition. The
Virgin stands in the main altar of St. Patrick's Cathedral in
New York (on the right-hand side), and in Nôtre Dame in Paris,
she is granted her own chapel. In Mexico, where the Virgin of
Guadalupe originated, (1) and especially among the millions of
Mexicans who live in the United States, she is — even more than
the Mexican flag — the most beloved emblem of national identity.
This applies even to non-Catholics. Could astrology help us to
understand what lies behind the huge popularity of the Virgin of
Guadalupe? Is it possible to get a meaningful horoscope from a
legend? In the following discussion, I will sketch out some
ideas from my book, Th