The Meaning of Love, Venus Square Pluto & Beauty and the Beast w/ Astrologer Christopher Renstrom

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A Rough Start to Sagittarius Season

On Today’s Episode You’ll learn…

🌕 About the Venus Pluto square occurring on December 3, exploring its astrological implications and the dynamic interplay between Venus and Pluto in a chart.
🌖 Insights into the metaphorical parallel of ‘Beauty and the Beast' as it relates to the Venus Pluto square, highlighting the nuanced power dynamics and transformative potential of this celestial event.
🌗 The various dimensions of Venus in astrology, including aspects of beauty, attraction, and love, and how they interact with the darker, more intense energies of Pluto.

📚 Learn Astrology with Christopher Renstrom

📆 Turn your birth chart into a calendar: Cosmic Calendar 

🪐 Take the one planets course you’ll ever need: Ruling Planets for Unruly Times 

😍 Learn about Zodiac Sign compatibility: Love Among the Elements 

💝 Learn about Relationship Astrology: Step Away from the 7th House 

📑🧑‍🎓 Sign up for Rick Levine’s new LIVE astrology course and learn how to integrate Harmonic Aspects to reveal the chart’s hidden dimensions! Go to https://astrologyhub.com/harmonic

Transcript

Love can turn a man into a beast, and love can also make an ugly man beautiful. Next, on Horoscope Highlights.

Hi there and welcome! This is Amanda, the founder of Astrology Hub, and you're listening to our Week Ahead Snapshot with world class astrologer, historian, and author of the cosmic calendar, Christopher Renstrom. This show is designed to give you a quick overview of the week ahead, enabling you the gift of choice in how you navigate and weave these energies into your daily life.

Enjoy!

Intro

Hello, my name is Christopher Brunstrom, and I'm your weekly horoscope columnist here on Astrology Hub. And this week, I wanted to talk to you about the Venus Pluto square taking place on December 3rd. But, before I do, did [00:01:00] you know that you could read about transits to your sign by subscribing to my weekly newsletter?

Go to astrologyhub. com slash horoscope. Again, that's astrologyhub. com slash horoscope to subscribe. Now, let's go ahead and talk about that upcoming Venus Pluto square.

Venus in the Birth Chart

Venus is the planet of what I like in astrology. Venus rules over the law of attraction. Named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty, Venus is the third brightest light in the sky after the sun and the moon.

So Venus's power in an astrological chart is to attract. And what Venus will often attract is Like, like likes like, is basically the rule of law with Venus. So Venus's job in your chart is to attract people into your life who are going to help you [00:02:00] be you. Okay, these are going to be people who like the same things that you like, who laugh at the same jokes, who scowl at the same politicians that you wouldn't vote for in a million years.

Who enjoy the same friends, the same tastes, the same menus, the same hotspots, people who pretty much like the same things that you do. This is Venus's job in an astrological chart. Now that sounds rather straightforward and simple enough. Basically, it is. I mean, the best way to think of Venus is really as perfume or a cologne that you might wear.

It's going to draw people into your life who are going to enjoy who you are. And as I said, this seems rather straightforward and simple, but sometimes, sometimes Venus can hook people into your life not exactly for the reasons that you might anticipate. Why? What this gets to is the [00:03:00] idea of beauty.

Beauty is something that has been long disputed whether it's good or bad in the history of humankind. On one hand, one would say beauty is wonderful. I mean, who doesn't want to be beautiful? Who doesn't want to be surrounded by beautiful things? Who doesn't want art and beauty and music in their lives?

Things that, that, that soothe the soul and make you feel like stretching out and luxuriating on maybe a sedan or a chaiselon, as they say, on Downtown Abbey. Okay, these are the things that are associated with beauty. But beauty also introduces an interesting contradiction. If something is beautiful, then that can only mean that something else is not, okay?

That something else is not as beautiful, something else is maybe homely, something else is maybe ugly. [00:04:00] So beauty has a way of inspiring both attraction and desire, but beauty can also, if Venus is very prominent in your chart, inspire contempt. and envy. All right?

Beauty or the Beholder?

So, beauty, they say, is in the eye of the beholder, which of course asks the question, uh, who has the upper hand?

Beauty or the beholder? Some people might say it's beauty because beauty is always put on a pedestal. Others? Others might say the beholder because without the beholder, adoring beauty, or putting beauty on a pedestal. Beauty might not command the kind of market price that she's used to commanding. Beauty might not make the sort of advantageous marriages that beauty makes.

Beauty might not be able to parade around in an endless succession of evening gowns in the way that she's accustomed to, unless there is a [00:05:00] beholder. And a beholder might be a patron. A beholder might be an audience. Beholder. might be a clientele. One never really knows who the beholder is and what is in the eye of the beholder.

So there can sometimes be a sort of hidden agenda that's associated to the beholder vis a vis beauty. Sometimes the beholder can be seen as a very possessive type of personality or a controlling type of personality. Sometimes the beholder is, I purchased you, I paid for this lifestyle, I want something in return, and you know what I mean.

Lascivious, lascivious, lascivious beholder!

Pluto & its Associations

Okay, but, uh, sometimes the, hues of the beholder's adoration can take on a much darker color. Hence the square to the planet Pluto, which will be taking place on December 3rd. Pluto As we've talked about, , recently [00:06:00] here on, Horoscope Highlights, because there's been a lot of Pluto activity going on in the sky, Pluto is named after the Roman god of the underworld.

He rules over the realm of corpses. He also rules over the realm of wealth, of precious metals, of gold, silver, even oil. All of these things are mined from under the earth. In fact, Pluto, the word Pluto, gives rise to our word plutocracy, which means moneyed class. So Pluto was always associated with wealth, and indeed that's what Pluto means, uh, it means wealth.

Okay, but it also is associated to the underworld with things that are going on beneath the surface. And Pluto at times can have a bit of a predatory nature. energy. All right, Pluto, as we've talked about recently on these horoscope highlights, uh, can also be associated to subterranean feelings, parts of our psyche that we don't want to show, parts of ourselves that we think might be [00:07:00] repulsive or ugly or that we want to keep hidden, or parts of ourselves that might be underworld, they might be criminal in intent and activity.

After all, gangsters and criminals were often called denizens of the underworld. Uh, that's because they were sneaking things past and doing all sorts of things. Dark deeds at night that one shouldn't be doing. Okay, so this is something that, if you have Pluto strong in the chart, you're also very familiar with.

Now, that doesn't mean that that's going to turn you into the new Tony Soprano or anything along those lines, but what it does mean is that you have an understanding of why people do the things they do when they're pressed. To extreme circumstances or when they've been led on, or when they've been betrayed or when they've been, hurt or when they've been deceived.

So Pluto does have that sort of retaliatory, even vengeful side to it. Which kind of makes sense [00:08:00] when you remember that Pluto is the modern ruler of Scorpio. Remember that Scorpio has two ruling planets, the traditional ruler is Mars, and the modern ruler is, uh, Pluto, and these two planets basically have joint custody over the zodiac sign of the Scorpion.

So, when you have Pluto, who's always… in the shadows. Um, and honestly, he really is. In mythology, uh, there's always this sort of lurking element to Pluto, and Pluto even has a cap of invisibility, which we know about, because he loans it to Perseus when he goes and slays the Gorgon. So, You know, even though people assume that Pluto doesn't really walk around on the surface world, or walk around with us, with this cap of invisibility, how do we know Pluto doesn't?

Okay, and Pluto also being associated to death is basically that invisible presence of death that walks among us. We, we live our lives, you know, in the innocence [00:09:00] of bleeding sheep. And death at any point can go and strike at any one of us and remove us from the world of the living. So there are these elements to Pluto, Pluto the planet, and if it's also very strong in the astrological chart.

Venus Square Pluto

So this Venus squaring Pluto, how are we to interpret something like that? Well, first of all, it's a square, which is a Ptolemaic aspect, and basically, uh, squares talk about combat, competition, fight, struggle. All right, that's, that's going on. Now, uh, that's because the nature of the square is Mars. All of the Ptolemaic aspects are of the nature of a planet, whether the aspect involves the planet or not, in a horoscope reading.

For instance, if the Sun trines the Moon in your chart, a trine is harmonious, it's supportive in its energy, and it's also protective. And so that is, a trine is of the [00:10:00] nature of Jupiter. The Sun can trine the moon, it can have nothing to do with Jupiter, but the fact that they're forming a trine is of the nature of Jupiter, meaning benevolent and protective.

All right, so with the square we have a sense of being embattled. Okay, now when we think of something like embattled, you know, is that going to be something that's cruel? Is that something that's going to be bloody? Is that something that's going to be something that we just can't, you know, watch? Is it going to be conflict, fight?

Is it going to get out of hand? Is it going to spill over into the rest of our lives and cause all sorts of cacophony and chaos? That's one Way of understanding a square, but squares can also be understood as struggles and squares can also be understood as as a struggle between two planets where the two of them are trying to get the upper hand over.

one another. So when we examine something like a Venus Pluto [00:11:00] square in the sky, we see that Venus is in the zodiac sign of Libra, and we see that, Pluto is in the zodiac sign of Capricorn. And, uh, we might say, oh, poor Venus, you know, uh, dark predatory Pluto is squaring, is, you know, sort of creeping up on Venus.

Venus, Venus, Venus run, Venus run, Venus hide, Venus, uh, call for help. Okay, um, but when you look at the square like that, and not all squares are made the same, you see that Venus is in her own zodiac sign, Libra. When I'm saying Venus is in her own zodiac sign of Libra, I'm referring to the fact that Venus is at home in the zodiac sign of Libra.

Remember, planets are always traveling and they are residing in different signs as they make their way around the zodiacal wheel. So, uh, Venus can be in Virgo, and she was, and now she's, uh, in, in Libra. Uh, Venus in Virgo is said to be in fall, but Venus, [00:12:00] uh, Venus in Virgo is said to be in fall, but Venus in Libra is at home.

She's in domicile. So she's actually quite comfortable, and she's actually quite powerful here. So when we look at a Venus Pluto square, even though Pluto is seen and regarded as a heavyweight, and Pluto is indeed a heavyweight planet, it packs a punch and it's very, very intense. It's very, very powerful.

Venus. Venus is the planet that has the upper hand by the sheer fact that she is in her own zodiac sign.

Jean Coteau's Beauty & the Beast

And it's in the spirit of this, um, and wanting to unpack this, uh, aspect with you and to think about what we might be dealing with, with this, Venus Pluto square on December 3rd, that I wanted to share with you one of my favorite films, that I have enjoyed ever since I was a student in college.

I think I saw Jean Cocteau's La Belle et les Bêtes, Beauty and the Beast, for the [00:13:00] first time when I was probably a sophomore in college, And as you can tell, this was a, uh, films I love. They tell wonderful stories. I was studying playwriting at this point at NYU, New York University. And I was also studying astrology.

So this is why film and story and plays have like sort of become enwrapped in my astrology, uh, cause I was studying them all at, at the same time. And, you know, films and plays presented such a treasure trove of ideas and symbols and stories. So Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast is a fantastic film, and I remember seeing it in class for the first time, uh, it was some sort of screenplay film class, uh, which, which, which was wonderful, because you used to go and watch all these wonderful movies, and, and it was Beauty and the Beast, and it's A remarkable take that Cocteau has on the fairy tale.[00:14:00]

Now, Cocteau himself, lived from 1889 to 1963, and if you're not familiar with the works of Jean Cocteau, , he was a Dadaist and he was also a Surrealist. in Paris. He was a very famous poet, he was a very famous playwright, and later on in his career, he was a very famous filmmaker. And his filmmaking, although it's, it's done with special effects.

It's not special effects in the way that we understand special effects. It was always steeped in theater and the stage. And it was always, always working with surrealist imagery, uh, which was poetic. And this is why his films are so Astonishingly beautiful. And if you've never seen, Beauty and the Beast by Cocteau, I heartily recommend that you go and rent it and see it as soon as possible.

In the story, which is a lot like the original [00:15:00] French version, Beauty, uh, and her name her father is a merchant and, uh, he makes all of his money from ships, from shipping. And, uh, you know, he, he sends goods out and goods come back and, and all these sorts of things. And he's a very, very wealthy man.

But for some reason, uh, he loses his fortune in, in a storm or a series of storms, all of his ships are sunk. And so, Beauty and her father, as well as Beauty's, uh, two sisters, I think it's, uh, Felice and Adelaide, Have to, uh, debunk, they have to, I, I think the British call it retrench. . Okay. They sort of have to like leave where they're living in a, in a very wealthy, uh, uh, mansion.

Or Chateau. Um, they have to leave their wealthy chateau and their society friends and they have to go and decamp, uh, that's probably the word I was going for earlier. They have to decamp to the countryside, uh, along with their brother Ludvig. And Ludovic is, uh, Nere du [00:16:00] Vel.

So there's, uh, three sisters, all who are very beautiful, Felice, Adelaide, and, um, Belle. Um, but Belle's the most beautiful of the three. And then there's Ludovic, the Nere du Vel son. And, um, when they lose their fortune and have to leave, the society that the, that the father and the, uh, family has been keeping in well to do circles, um, isn't sad to see them go because Felice and Adelaide are known as being completely vain and insufferable.

And they say, well, maybe now they can go and put on their airs, tending sheep in the country. It's such a little bitchy line, you know, that, that women who once like, you know, sat in front of mirrors and perfumed themselves all day and went through the file of their gentlemen collars are now going to have to like, put on these same conceited airs in the country with sheep for their audience.

And the only one that people really feel bad about is Belle, because she was always very kind. She was always very [00:17:00] cultivated. She was always very beautiful, not only in appearance, but also in her manner. So she's the Venus of, of the piece. And Ludovic is like an air to well, so anyway, they decamp to the country, uh, and are, suddenly have this flock of sheep, and that's about it, in a cottage. And Ludovic comes along, along with his friend. And Abnon is a very, very beautiful man who, is in love with, with, with Belle.

He's in love with beauty and, and, and he says, you know, you are so beautiful, Belle, that even as you scrub the floor, the floor can't help but make a mirror to your beauty. It's so French. It's so Jean Marais. And Jean Marais plays the lead. Um, he plays Abnon and he'll also play, uh, the beast. Um, and he was probably at that time the most beautiful man, in France.

He's, he's definitely one of the most beautiful men in French cinema and, um, happened to be Jean Cocteau's lover at the same time. But he's like, beauty, the floor is so beautiful when you polish it. It can't help but reflect your beauty. And he's like, you must [00:18:00] have more than this cottage. Marry me, marry me.

I love you. And she's like, well, Avnon, I, I can't love, I can't marry you. I'm not in a position to, I don't have a dowry. My father is in the midst of financial ruin and, I really want to be with him. And he's like, why be with him? Come and run away with me. And she's like, I need to be with him, Avnon, because he's lost everything.

He's lost his place in society. He's lost all of his money. He needs companionship. He needs support. He needs love. And so she is very, very devoted. To her father, the sisters are not, they're completely complaining about how they don't get to wear what they used to wear and how and running amongst the sheep and, you know, they want to the laundry so they give it to beauty, uh, Belle's basically living a Cinderella existence.

Okay. And Ludovic is just up to no good. So, um, then one day they hear that actually one of the, uh, father's ships has come in to port, and this one was bringing a lot of, of, [00:19:00] of money back from, from, or, or a lot of, things to sell back from wherever it had gone. I mean, trade is done over oceans and ships and things, so maybe it's being, bringing back luxury items and things like that to be sold.

And so this is very promising, and they're all super duper excited, and the father departs immediately to go meet the ship. And before he does, he's, you know, he's, he's feeling very, uh, buoyant, and very optimistic and happy, because this is their chance of actually getting out of this cottage and back to the city.

And he says, is there anything, you know, any of you want? And of course the sisters are like, bring back dresses, bring back jewelry! And he's like, okay, okay. And, and the brother is like, Bring back money. I want to have money. It's like, okay, okay. You'll have money. And it's like beauty, beauty bell. Is there something you want?

And she's like, no, no, actually there's, there's not anything I want at all. And the sisters give her a look. Oh, too good to want something. Hmm. Ah, your false modesty is so impressive. We're so [00:20:00] moved by your pretense at not wanting things when we all know that you're the most covetous of all of the sisters.

I mean, they're wicked, awful, horrible sisters. And in the French style. And just, they can be that way. But Belle is noble also in that same French style. And so Belle says, Um, you know, she, she feels like she has to name something for her father to bring back because everyone's giving her like, you know, evil looks and she's like, I would like, um, a rose because roses don't grow around here and her father's like, Absolutely.

I will bring you back a rose. Well, I'm off. And so the father's off. And he journeys, uh, several days to, to the port only to find that his, ship has been foreclosed upon by, people who's owed money to by a bank or whoever had lent him money. And that, uh, it's all for naught. They've, they've come in and they've taken everything off the ship and, and, and he has nothing at all.

And, and [00:21:00] so he is like, what am I going to do? What am I going to do? So he heads back home on his horse and he goes into a forest and there's a fog and he loses his way in this forest, um, looking about, um, and then he comes upon a castle, uh, in the middle of the forest. at night, where he has lost all direction.

Now, as you can sort of tell, there are a lot of Plutonian themes already that are going on. Remember that, uh, Pluto is associated to wealth, um, and it's associated to ordeals and the transformations that arise. from them. Okay. So whenever you have a Pluto transit in your chart, like it's going over your sun or it's going over your moon, or in this case, Venus, um, whenever you have a Pluto transit, that's going on in the chart.

What happens is that you are presented or you are, you encounter an ordeal. Okay. Uh, things were already bad enough. [00:22:00] That, you know, or the question is, weren't things bad enough when the father had lost all of his money? They're made even worse when he goes and, and finds out that the ship that actually did come in has been seized upon by, by the bank, uh, by people who, who, whom he owes money to.

And so he has nothing. And so it's as he leaves in this despair that he enters into the Plutonian world. Okay. He enters into the underworld. He enters into a forest for where he quickly loses a sense of direction. There's mist and fog. It's very forbidden, very foreboding. There's the howling of wolves, for instance, maybe, you know, and, and, and it's at night.

Nowadays, You know, when we travel in a car and not on a horse, okay, when we travel in a car, not on a horse, you know, there's a highway, there's a freeway, if you get lost or whatever, you can always like stay at a hotel or something like that. Back in this time, there are no hotels. There might be a tavern somewhere, but he didn't know where it was, and [00:23:00] he's lost, and he's in the middle of the night, and it's very cold, and he's feeling very desolate, and here he comes upon a dark castle, all plutonium.

underworld images. And so he enters into this castle, um, you know, hello, hello, is anyone here? And, and no one responds. But there are, um, candles that are lit, all right? And, um, as he walks down the hallway in, in the film, there are these, uh, hands that are, that are holding the candle. And he comes up to, to the hand that's holding the candle.

It's like, you know, he assumes it's a, it's a sculpted hand holding a candle. You know, and he looks at the light, and the hand just leaves the candle and points the way down the hall. It's a beautiful moment. And he's frightened, but yet he's also intrigued, like, where am I? And he's asking, quite naturally, Am I in a dream?

Have I [00:24:00] gone to sleep? You know, and then he comes to another candle, and it points. Another candle, and it points. You know, the hand holding the candle points, leaving the candle just floating there. And he's led to a dining room, uh, which is full of light and an enormous fireplace, you know, with two mounted heads on each side of the fireplace.

And, and he comes in and he sees, uh, the food and he doesn't want to eat because, you know, he's, he's, he's not even a guest, he's trespassing. And so he doesn't know what to do. He's, he's, he's confused and anxious, you know, and of course the stat, the busts on each side of the Fireplace open their eyes and they begin to watch him as he walks around the dining room.

This is a beautifully magical castle. Um, and so he sits and, uh, he begins to, to eat, uh, and, and, and, and on one hand, it's like, I'm, I'm [00:25:00] transgressing. And then on the other hand, it's like, I'm famished and I'm starving and I'm hungry, you know? And he hears a roar. All right. And he gets up from his seat and he, and he goes.

Running through the castle. He, he, he, uh, you know, is that, you know, is that the person who's keeping the castle? Is there a wolf in the castle? Like, like what's going on, you know, and again, he sort of gets lost in the castle. He ends up on the grounds and he sees on the grounds. A rose, it's a Rose Bush, it's a magnificent Rose Bush.

And he's like, oh, well, at least I can, I can bring something back for my children. I will bring a rose back for, for beauty. And so he goes, and with his, his gloved hand, he breaks off, uh, stem of the rose and he, you know, holds it up. And it's at that moment that the roar is right next to him. And there is the beast.

And the Beast is played, as I said, by Jean Moreau. Um, but his makeup is fantastic. Um, he's definitely [00:26:00] bestial, but he's got feline qualities, like Jean Moreau's own features, okay? He has these feline qualities where it sort of looks like It should be a lion, but it's actually really more like a, almost a Persian cat's features, but with this lion sort of head.

And in this marvelous, um, whatever those pieces are, it's, it's the head of a cape, uh, behind him in this beautiful costume and beautiful cape that he's wearing. And he roars, you know, at, at, at the father and the father's petrified. And he's like, how dare you take one of my roses. How Dare you take one of my roses and he's like, I'm, I'm sorry, I didn't know, uh, you know, I got this for my daughter and the beast is like, daughter, you have a daughter and this is Pluto.

Okay. It's, it's, it's, it's not just horror, but it's being drawn into a trap. Okay. And so the beast responds, a [00:27:00] daughter, you have a daughter and the father is like, yes, I have three. And he's like, well then. The only way that you can make up having plucked this rose is to send one of your daughters here in your stead for me to feast on.

And the father's like, no, no, no, I'd rather you feasted on me than one of my daughters. And he's like, okay, that's easy. I can feast on you instead. But it will be either you or one of your daughters that I will feast on. Now. Treat yourself to my elegant banquet, have a good night's sleep, and in the morning you will depart on my horse.

I will give you a horse for you to take home. And the father's like, you know, and so the father is very, um, frightened. He doesn't think he's going to be able to go to sleep at all, you know, and he's so worried about the plight that he's put himself in, but the moment that his head hits the pillow, he falls asleep.

He's so exhausted. He's so wrung out. So immediately he [00:28:00] falls asleep and in the morning he feels wonderful and the rose is resplendent. It's gorgeous. It's like eerily beautiful, this rose. And, um, you know, again, the beast is nowhere to be found. And he's been told, um, that there is a horse that's awaiting him called Magnificent.

And all he has to say to Magnificent is say in his ear, uh, Magnificent, go where I want to go, go, go, go. And Magnificent will take him there. So the father says, Magnificent, Magnificent, take me home. Go, go, go. And Magnificent takes the father home back to his family. So, um, When he gets back to, the family, um, he tells the family the story of what has happened, that, that, that there is no ship, that, uh, or, or there was a ship, but there is no, uh, property, that it was immediately confiscated.

He ends up at this castle, he [00:29:00] tells the story of the rose, he tells the story of the beast. Uh, Ludwig, immediately turns pale. Uh, because in his excitement to get money, uh, Ludwig, uh, knew that his father was gonna have, uh, bring back money, but he couldn't wait, so he went to a moneylender and took out a loan, um, on the terms that the moneylender would immediately, seize all property if it weren't paid within 24 hours, and of course that's happening, and they have nothing to live on at all, um, and, and so this is, this is very frightening, And, and the sisters are like, Oh, we've lost everything.

Oh, but you brought back a rose. Oh, you brought back a rose for Belle for beauty. Of course. Oh, wasn't that the one she feigned saying that she didn't want a rose, you know, and Felice is like, Oh yes. And she put up this impossible show. And Adelaide is like, right with fake tears, you know, Oh, don't make me ask for something father.

Well, Belle. Because of you, our father is doomed to die, because he brought you back your rose, but now he has [00:30:00] incurred the wrath and the fury of the beast. And you know what? It shouldn't be Papa who goes back to the castle, Belle. It should be you, because you were so selfish and vain, and you asked for a rose, you pipsqueak.

And so, you know, Belle is feeling mortified and guilty. And um, The father's like, no, no, we'll get through it. And Ludwig is like, actually, we have no money because I, in my eagerness, and they're all like, oh my goodness. Um, and so the father is completely, you know, sad, but he discovers that in the pockets of his cape are actually gold dishes and plates and even jewelry.

And so. The Beast has actually given him, uh, small treasures, to take home, and this will, this will hold off the moneylenders, and they're all kinds, they're, they're all sorts of delighted at this, at this discovery, you know, that, that for now, the, the debtors will be at bay. And, and meanwhile, the sisters just haven't, you know, rose, it was the rose and bell and [00:31:00] bell asking for, you know, they just will not move on.

And Ludovic is like, I wonder how much I can sell that for. So everyone's like completely self absorbed, um, and the father's feeling guilty and bad. And I will go back in the morning and I will, you know. And so what Belle does is that she takes a hooded cloak. I love it when they take hooded cloaks.

Anyway, Belle takes a hooded cloak and she goes to Magnificent. And she says, Magnificent, take me to the Beast's castle. Go. You know, and she hops aboard and Magnificent gallops off. You know, there's no wandering. There's no being confused. Magnificent is a magnificent stallion. And he goes galloping off and he takes Belle to the Beast's castle.

When Belle arrives at the castle, and the way that it's filmed in this very sort of floating dream like way, you have to see it. It's so elegant, and it's so beautiful. And Josette Day, who plays Belle, was a dancer, so she just has this beautiful, uh, poised way [00:32:00] of moving. So when Belle gets to the castle again, she's, she, she enters into a hall of lit candelabras, but Cocteau films it with her almost as if she's floating down the hallway, and she's looking at each of these candles and the labras, you know, as she's, it's like a dream, the way that she floats down this hallway.

to the banquet hall and she comes to, uh, the banquet hall and she sees this beautiful banquet that's, that's laid out there in front of her and, um, you know, she, she looks and she examines the room with its beautiful ornate paintings and, and all these gorgeous setting. It's like such an elaborately gorgeous room.

And then she turns around and she sees the beast, and the beast roars and she faints. It's like, uh, she, she was so frightened that there was going to be a beast there. She didn't know that the beast was in the same room as her. She turns and she [00:33:00] sees him and he's like, and she's like, you know, and she passes out.

And so the beast scoops Belle into his arms, you know, and he sort of lingers over her, you know, smelling her, and he carries her up the stairs. to her room that she will reside in and he places her on the bed and he, uh, disappears. And so Belle wakes, maybe it's a half an hour later, maybe it's a day later, we don't really know.

But she wakes and she smells food, um, and she sees put out in front of her this beautiful dress and this gorgeous, uh, headpiece and this magnificent jewelry. And it's not something that she's really accustomed to. I mean, she grew up wearing it, but she's kind of like been living, you know, the peasant's life lately, but you know, she still knows how to dress.

She's French. What do you want? So she dresses for dinner, you know, and she descends down the stairs and she comes and she meets the beast [00:34:00] at, um, at, at, at the table. And the beast is there again with this leonine head and this Persian jowl and mouth and these eyes and this marvelous cape, you know, and she, and she meets with him with the expectation that now she is to be devoured.

She, she says, I've taken my father's place and, and, um, You know, basically do with me what you will, you know, you were going to, uh, rend my father from limb to limb. So do the same here. Here I am, you know, and so, um, but then she realizes immediately that hers is to be a different fate. You know, and the beast invites her to sit down at dinner, and, uh, and she does, and she is, uh, waited upon by invisible servants, and, you know, the food somehow appears, or the wine is somehow filled in the glass, you know, and they begin to [00:35:00] have a conversation.

And what she begins to realize as they're talking is that the beast is actually very kind. He's not ferocious at all. He's very gentlemanly and very well mannered. Um, he might smell a little, um, but you know, he, he, um, you know, he's, he's, he's the perfect host, you know. And so the beast says to her, I would like to have dinner with you every night, if I may.

And she's Like, all right. But, you know, he says this as he walks behind her high chair at the dinner. So she's still very uncomfortable. So as he walks to one side and says, I would like to have dinner with you every night. She leans in the opposite direction. She's like, all right. And it's almost has this beautiful, like Kabuki or Indonesian pose that goes on.

And, um, he said, I won't. be eating with you, but I would like to watch you [00:36:00] eat. And she's like, all right. And also, I must tell you that every night I will ask you one question, you know, and she's like, well, okay, what's that question? And the beast says, I will ask you, will you marry me? And she's like, all right.

And he's like, that was the question. I was asking you a question. Will you marry me? And she's like, no. And he immediately, you know, the way he recoils, the way he feels dejected. He, he, he, he walks away from her, her chair behind her chair and he departs and leaves. And Belle is left alone with this entire banquet in front of her and, uh, a fireplace, a crackling fireplace, and she's left to [00:37:00] dine alone.

And so, this continues every night, you know, and she naturally will ask him questions like, How is it, you know, you came to be here, and where, where are you from, and he avoids all of those things, he changes the subject in their, in their conversation. Um, she asks, uh, He won't sit down at dinner and he, and he changes the topic of the conversation.

And so they sort of learn to talk about the things they're not going to talk about. And again, this, this, this is almost kind of Persephone in the underworld with Pluto. You know, she has been essentially abducted. I mean, One can say, well, she came instead of her father, but it was still this price to be paid that the father's release would be based on the father coming back or choosing one of his daughters to come back and take his place.

And it was clear that her two older sisters weren't going to do this. And so she, she, she comes back, she's descended [00:38:00] into the underworld and she's not quite certain. where she is or what's going on, but, but there is this ritual, there is this etiquette, okay? It's very Venusian. It's this etiquette. They always meet at night for dinner.

And, um, it gets to a point where she's kind of like actually looking forward to their meetings at night and at dinner and, and, uh, with their conversation, uh, which she finds which he's wrapped. She's, she's absolutely held by. He's, he's, he's, he's, he's a fascinating and interesting character. I mean, he's always apologizing for being dull and stupid, but she doesn't find him dull and stupid at all.

And she finds him again, very kind hearted and very engaging. And his observation of things are really quite fascinating. So they really become these earnest. dinner companions. But then there's this one scene in the film that always stayed with me. And I, and I love it. It's actually one of my favorite scenes in the film.[00:39:00]

She, uh, she is in her, in her bedroom. She's preparing for, for bed. And, um, she's looking in her mirror and this is a mirror that, you know, she looks to, she looks at obviously to get dressed and things like that, but it's also a magic mirror. And the beast has told her that all she has to do with this magic mirror is ask to see someone and the mirror will show them what's going on.

And so every night it's kind of like a cell phone or something and FaceTime, but every night, um, you know, she asks to see her father and to see how they're doing. And she sees that they're doing well. And so she's She's happy with this. It's not really FaceTime because they don't know, her family doesn't know that she's watching them, but she's watching them through, through this mirror.

Um, but one night she hears heavy steps. down the hall from her door. And she knows that after they have dinner, the beast goes out, you know, into the night. She [00:40:00] doesn't really know what that is. So tonight is the night that she goes outside of her room and she hides behind a statue. And she, she peers and looks, and the beast is returning from a hunt.

And, and He's returning from a hunt. He's a beast, right? So he doesn't have dinner with her because he wouldn't be eating on plates with forks and knives. He would be like, you know, tearing out the guts of an animal that he pried upon. So he's not going to show this to, to her. And it's such a wonderful A little detail that Cocteau has, but instead of showing us this beast, you know, um, you know, with ripped apart clothes because he's been hunting and he's all bloody or whatever, he enters, you know, and he's smoking.

There's like smoke that's coming up from, from the beast. And this is Cocteau's very poetic way of telling [00:41:00] us about predatory, you know, it's almost like the sweat of the beast is, is, is. Leaving his body as a sort of steam or a mist, so it's kind of like his, his whole body almost like smokes with this, and it actually makes him rather, uh, frightening, you know, and, and she watches him pass, pass her in the hallway, she's behind a statue, and he comes to her door, and he hesitates, and he walks away, but he comes back to the door again, and she's legitimately frightened, you And as he does this, he begins to smoke more, you know, and, and, and what we've seen is the, the bloodlust of the hunt is now turning into a sexual lust, a predatory lust that he has for, for Belle.

Okay. Um, and, and, and this is what beauty has attracted. This is what beauty has inspired, you know, in her captor is this, and he actually opens the door [00:42:00] and he enters into her bedroom. And she's like, Shocked and he enters into her bedroom and he's, you know, smoke is rising from him and he's looking and he doesn't see her anywhere and he knows that she's not there, you know, and he takes the magic mirror and he says magic mirror show me where is Bell, you know, and the mirror shows Bell.

behind the statue, you know, and the beast immediately recognizes the statue outside her room. And she comes and she approaches the doorway. So it's kind of like he's looking at the iPhone and she's like showing up and, and he puts the mirror down and she stands at the door and she's like, what are you doing in my room?

Like that, you know, and she says it with such It's Venusian power. You know, she is not only the object that he craves and desires. She is beauty. You know, her name is Belle. Belle in French is beauty. Okay. She's beauty, but she's also culture. [00:43:00] She's also status. And she stands at the door. She doesn't own this castle.

You know, he could be like, you don't own this castle, you know, give me what I want, you know, and she's like, what are you doing in my room, you know, and he's like, like this and the smoke is around his face, you know, and she's like, leave, leave right now, you know, and he gets up and he slinks away. And the way that the scene is done, you know, there's the, there, there's the danger of this animal coming back from the hunt and wanting more, wanting sex.

It's pretty obvious, you know, it being, uh, forbidden to him. She says, no, get out of my room. But the way that Jean Moreau plays it physically, the way that he slinks away, you know, again, with the smoke around him even but it's like, uh, you know, it's like the burning. Shame, you know, the burning has gone from predatory to [00:44:00] shame and now it's this horrible shame.

She has seen him like this. So it's not that he's a beast that makes him so, um, repulsive, you know, she's gotten used to that. She got used to that a long time ago, you know, it's, it's that he had. this predatory, you know, desire for her. And then it's the burning and this is, this is the poet of Cocteau.

It's the burning shame as he slinks away. And again, I've seen this in so many, uh, charts with the strong Pluto or with Scorpio that is, is like there, there's, there can be a shamed quality that's very powerful and that the shame. Burns, you know, and, and Cocteau portrays this so exquisitely, you know, as the, as the beast slinks out of her bedroom and she's like standing there, you know, very noble with her chin held high, [00:45:00] and he is so mortified, so ashamed, you know, that he even was going to try to do this.

So they continue to visit. There's a beautiful scene in which they have a conversation with statues of deer and, and boar and things like this. And again, you see a lord of the castle, but also a beast, you know, and she has a growing confidence and comfort with him. She doesn't order him around, but she looks forward to their meals and they have this bond.

So it comes at one point when she's asking to see how her father is doing. The mirror shows that her father is very ill. And so she is, she is struck by this and she needs to leave immediately. And he says to her, do you have to leave? And she's like, I will not eat. I will not, I will not eat. My father's ill.

I will not come to dinner. If you make me stay. And again, it asks, it's a fascinating thing of the [00:46:00] power play, you know, he's clearly in love with her. We know that beauty will be the cure of the beast, but there's more than that that's going on. It could have been a perfunctory courtship to be cured. Um, and he's offered her wealth and things like that.

And she's not interested in it because what he wants is something that's deeper, like all Plutonian ruled people, what they want is something that's deeper, okay, than, than, than, than trinkets, okay? It's an absolute love, right? And so, um, and, and he says, you will not, and she's like, I will not eat. I will not come to the table anymore.

My father is ill and I, and, and I will not, uh, do anything until, until I can, until I can see him. My heart is breaking, you know, and he's impressed by her heart. breaking for her father, you know, it's like he, he realizes that this is someone who not just honors her father, but who has consistently made choices to [00:47:00] sacrifice herself for her father.

She came in her father's place. She, Looks nightly how her father is doing. Um, and she, and when learning upon he's ill, she is basically staging a hunger strike, um, until she can go and see him. And of course he allows her to go and see him and he gives her, uh, two things. He gives her a gold key, and he gives her a magic glove, that will transport her instantly, uh, to see her father.

And she's like, really, how does it work? And he's like, just say, I want to see my father. And she's like, I say, I want to see my father. And in an instant, she's there. She's in her father's house. Okay. And it's fabulous how they do that. Um, but she's still dressed as, as, as beauty. Okay. So she's still. dressed in this beautiful, luxurious outfit with a little crowd.

I mean, this is how she dresses at the castle. So imagine the look at her family's face when she suddenly shows up out of [00:48:00] nowhere and she's, you know, looking like this, you know, and And her father's like amazed, you know, her sisters are even more jealous and covetous. What is she wearing? You know, they all thought that she was dead and Ludovic is immediately trying to appraise, well, how much would that bracelet be if I went out and sold it, you know?

And so she comes back and she nurses her father and the beast said, you can leave for eight days and eight days only. And then you must return to me. If you do not return to me, you will break my heart. And she had promised, I will return to you. And, um, the sisters see that obviously she hasn't been killed, and that she's being kept with a lot of money.

And they remember that. The jewelry and the gold that the father had inadvertently brought back from the castle the first visit. And so they're trying to scheme how more they can get. And beauty, you know, they're like, how did you get here? Beauty's like, oh, it's magic love. And she's like, how did you know father was [00:49:00] ill?

I've been watching in a magic mirror, you know, and this is a fairy tale. So I was like, okay, like, I don't know, like it never strikes anyone. This is bizarre. Um, and they're like, what's this? And she's like, it's a magic key. To, uh, the palace and, and, and there's all these riches and, and, and, and, you know, every evening he asks if I will marry him or whatever.

And they're like, are you going to? And she's like, I say, no, but we're friends. And they're kind of like, okay, you know, how many times have we gone to our parents and being like, well, we're just friends. I don't know. So she's doing that. And, um, the sisters immediately begin to conspire because they're just, just, just nasty, awful sisters.

And so they're like, all right. Um, we're going to make her stay longer than eight days so that the beast knows that she's not in love with him. And so, uh, either he will pay to have her back, give us more money, you know, or if she goes back and it's after the eight days. then definitely he'll rip her apart and eat her and we'll be rid of [00:50:00] Belle.

Okay. I mean, just, you know, what awful, awful, awful, awful, you know, but this is a Venus Pluto square. Okay. Just to take a moment here. This is a Venus Pluto square. If you have a very strong Venus and you have Pluto transiting it, you may have a beast character who is trying. To who is approaching you in your life, but is sending mixed signals of is it predatory?

Is it possessive? Um, is it coming from a good place? Is it covering something more sorted? You know, so we have the beast responding to beauty, and then we have the two sisters. We have the two sisters that every time they look at beauty, the envy gets worse. You know, they, they, they're, they're, they're driven to more and more hostility and malice and, and, and at this point a plot to murder her again. Okay. So this is something else that if you have Venus being affected by Pluto, by transit, [00:51:00] you can't always tell what people's motives are towards you.

And what makes it even more difficult is that the reason they're being this way is because of your Venus. It's because they're attracted to you. It's because they're drawn to you. Yes. You may have people who are like, I'm in love with you. Or people who are like, I adore you. Or people who are like, I just love giving you things.

It just looks better on you than it does on me. But then you can have predatory figures or you can have. envious, you know, plotting figures. Venus doesn't do anything other than to be beautiful, but in this regard, being beautiful can cause a lot of trouble. All right. So, so this is what's taking place. Uh, she stays longer than the eight days.

Um, the beast is like heartbroken. You know, and he begins to fall ill. Her father over the eight days begins to feel better. And he's like, [00:52:00] Oh, it's so nice to have you back home. And I feel better. And the sister's like, Oh, only three days have passed. You know, I mean, what does bell know about keeping time?

She's been living in a closet outside of time, this whole sort of time and Ludovic and his friend of non, uh, who's the very beautiful man are like, Oh, Let's go to the castle. Let's go to the castle with this gold key. Let's go to the castle with this gold key. And, um, we, we will figure out a way to get in the treasure trove. Well, it just so happens to be that that day, Magnificent the horse shows up and she had already told the story about, you know, how you command Magnificent to do things.

And Magnificent has shown up after eight days to come and collect beauty, but she's too busy administering to her father. So Ludwig and Avnon take Magnificent, they say, take us to the Uh, Beast's castle. Go, go, go. And Magnificent goes. He gallops to the castle with the two gentlemen. So, Beast at this point is down by the grotto.

And he's, and he's dying. Um, and he's dying of [00:53:00] heartbreak. You know, he, he thought he knew her and, and he's like, of course this wasn't going to go on. She, she has a family that really loves her. How could she love someone like me? You know, and, and he's dying of heartbreak. And, um, It's at that moment, because there's almost like this connection between the two of them, that Beauty is like, you know, she's like, he needs me, he needs me.

And the sisters are like, only four days have gone by, you've got four more days. And she's like, no, no, I need to go back, I need to go back. And the sisters are like, well, how are you going to find your way? And she's like, give me the key. And they're like, the key's gone. We don't know where it went. You know, and she, she goes and she grabs the glove.

And she, you know, Asks the glove to take her back and instantly she's back by the side of the beast who's dying at the grotto. She's full of shock that, that, that, that he's dying. And this again is another Venusian dilemma. [00:54:00] We have two planets in astrology that are associated to the female gender.

Now, I don't want to get into a whole discussion of gender, but I do want to point out that as the planets change zodiac signs, and we have zodiac signs that are feminine or masculine, or you can look at them as ying or yang, the planets themselves change their gender by anytime they switch sides from, from a Yin sign to a Yang sign.

They, they change their gender. But we do have two planets that were pretty much, um, associated with feminine energy or with women. Let's be You know, it's with women and they were the moon and Venus. The moon was seen as being more associated to family love, you know, and Venus was seen as associated with falling in love with everyone outside the family.

Okay. So, so, so the moon could be like, I love my family. I'm a part of my family. And then Venus was like, Oh, wow. That person looks really cute. I wonder what they're like. I want to go and date them. So Venus was always like [00:55:00] leaving the family to go out and pursue romance. Okay. Outside of family. And oftentimes, when Venus is very strong, there can be conflicts with the moon.

It might even show up with Venus moon oppositions or Venus moon squares in, in, in a chart. But it's being pulled in different directions, pulled towards familial love, and then to romantic love. And so, um, Beauty, of course, Belle, when she returns to her father, is pulled by family love. And she's very concerned about her sisters.

I mean, when her sisters say, Oh, we'd miss you if you went back to the castle. We've missed you this whole time. They're like, faking having missed her. Beauty falls for it. Belle falls for it. She's like, oh, you love me. And they're like, we've always loved you, Belle, stay with us forever and ever and ever.

Because they're trying to get her to break her word to the beast. And so she's drawn to the family, she's pulled to the family, and falls into it quite naturally. One might say naively, others might say stupidly, because these sisters are not to be trusted. But, you know, once [00:56:00] she, she feels. That the beast isn't right.

She returns to the beast's side and she's like, what can I do? What can I do? And he's like, it's, it's, you know, Oh, you've come back, you know, at first he's like, it's so good to see you. She's like, well, I can make you feel better. I can revive you. We need to get you food. We need to get you drinking. He's like, no, no, Bill.

It's too late. You've been gone too long. And she's like, I've been gone. How long have I been gone? He's like, you've been gone like 10 days or 12 days or whatever. And she's like, no, no, no. And he's like, uh, you know, and he. He's dying, you know, and at that moment, and this is a very wonderful part of the film right here, um, which also comes in astrologically at that moment, in which he's saying, Oh, it's too late. I'm dying. Um, at that very same moment, Ludwig and, um, Avnon have, have, have come to this beautiful, uh, glass, terrarium or glass dome.

It's a, it's a glass, uh, sanctum sanctorum of some sort. And they've climbed to the very top of it [00:57:00] and they've broken a glass and now they've worked out a rope and they're going to lower themselves down into this partitioned area of, of glass where there's you know, these beautiful plants and things. And in the middle of it is a statue of Artemis, the goddess Diana, goddess of the hunt.

Okay. And we know that, uh, Artemis or Diana is associated to the moon. It's the goddess of the moon. The moon is named after Diana Luna, the goddess of the hunt. And so here she is, you know, posed in a, in a, about to fire an arrow. And so they've come into the sanctum. And if you're familiar with the stories of Diana, You know, you know that she is a virgin goddess, that she, um, her, she only accompanies women, uh, in the forest.

So she's, she's denied anything to do with men. And, uh, there's a famous story of Actaeon in which he sees the, uh, maidens of Artemis and Artemis herself bathing. And at that moment, Artemis, you know, sees that [00:58:00] he saw her naked and she turns him into a dog. And Actaeon was a very famous hunter and, or no, she turns him into a stag.

That's what she does. She turns stag, because he's a very famous hunter. And immediately Actaeon's dogs see the stag and they chase it down and they rip it apart. Okay, this is what happens when you, you know, peek in at Artemis in her, in her toilette. So she's not to be messed with. And so here is the statue of Artemis and the two men are coming on in and they're going to take the wealth, the money of the beast.

Okay. Uh, so here we have a moon Pluto connection that's taking place. Uh, the statue comes to life and moves and aims at, Avnon, uh, Ludovic's friend, and fires an arrow, which goes right into his back. Um, at that moment, The beast is taking his last breath and Beauty's about to say, I love you, [00:59:00] you know, as she looks into his eyes, you know, which they're, they're magnificently photographed and she, and, and he sees in her eyes heartbreak.

For him, you know, and at that same moment, uh, Avnon, who's been shot in the back, you see his eyes and his face turns into the face of the beast, you know, and the arrow that Artemis has shot is in his back and he drops down dead from a height. And in that moment that she's looking at his eyes, the beast is transformed into his human form, which is Basically, I've known.

Okay, it's John Monroe. Okay, it's John Monroe as the prince, the prince are done. And so, uh, the, the beast is, is transformed into our Don and he's there and he's gone from death to, to this beautiful prince. When this film was first viewed, the [01:00:00] audience was a bit like disappointed because they were so involved in the beast, you know, and in their relationship and in their friendship to suddenly see the beast transformed into something beautiful, left the audience like You know, and Cocteau was like amazed at that reaction, that was the reaction in the rushes, you know, which is, you know, the films you see before you put it together.

People are like, oh, it was kind of like, well, what? And it's like, well, he's pretty. And it's like, well, that's a fairy tale. And everyone's like, oh, I kind of like liked him before, you know, and there was this kind of like, you know, like he transformed, but I liked him more when he was. The beast. The other little note that I wanted to share with you when they were filming this, and the beast was lying, dying in the grotto, uh, Cocteau had some swans, uh, brought in, you know, to sort of just be floating in this grotto.

And they were, and they stayed [01:01:00] away from the crew and they stayed away from the cast members, you know, but it's at the moment when the beast was dying, you know, and he lets his hand fall over the grotto that the swans came over and they began to pick at the hair. And at the paw of Monroe, of Monroe's costume, you know, he was like, ouch, you know, and Cocteau was like, stop, stop.

I want to keep that. Well, they do it again, you know, and he's like, well, it hurts. And he's like, no, no, do it again. You know, so he dies and he does it again. And they come and they nibble and Cocteau, ever the poet was like, this is like the most fantastic image, you know, because you have her cradling the beast, his hand in the and these beautiful swan, like, like, like picking and nine, uh, at his fingers.

And he was like, that, that is just like, you know, one would say it's surreal, except he's already a surrealist filmmaker, but it's this, it's a great moment and it's in the film. And so he's transformed back into, uh, the [01:02:00] Prince Ardenne. And so, uh, and so, at first, beauty is kind of like, puzzled, you know, that, uh, of this transformation, this magical transformation, and that he looks, you know, like, uh, Avnon, her brother's friend, but now he's, you know, dressed up as, as, as a prince.

And so what's fascinating is the way that they reverse those things. And it goes back to the original quote, uh, beauty can make a man bestial, but beauty can also take an ugly man and make him loving. Okay. Uh, that, that idea. And so this is what Cocteau does in the film. They had the switch that Abnon was like Ludovic, you know, covetous of money and just, you know, not, not a nice person.

You know, he was beautiful, but ugly on the inside. And he, he turns into the beast and dies. dead through Diana, the virgin goddess, the goddess of the hunt's arrow. Um, and then,, Prince Ardawn, you know, steps up and, and, uh, and is [01:03:00] there and the curse is broken. The curse is broken. Because, um, beauty is heartbroken, her glance, that look of love, you know, the eye of the beholder, you know, she is beholding him, you know, and, and in her eyes, he, as a beast, is beautiful.

And she's about to say, I love you, he has asked her every night, you know, to marry, and she's about to say, I love you, and I will marry you. And it's, he sees in her beholding eyes. His beauty, you know, and that's the thing that, um, that transformed cocktail has an interesting quote that he gave, it's a quote that he wrote down in a diary that he kept while he was making the film Beauty and the Beast in 1946. It was one year after the end of World War II. He says, But the end of a fairy story is [01:04:00] the end of a fairy story, and beauty is docile. And with the prince, with three faces, she flies away where, as the prince says, You shall be a great queen where you will find your father and where your sisters will carry your train.

And it's fascinating because he says, you know, she's docile, you know, he sees her as, as passive, but I think he missed the point of his own. Exchange there, uh, at, at the end of the film. iT's that he's transformed in her eyes, um, in her, her eyes have recognized someone who's already beautiful and the disappointment is actually the transformation of him into the prince.

What's also fascinating is, and with the prince, with three faces, she flies away, you know, to the prince's kingdom. The prince with three faces, and the three faces are Avnon, the, the, uh, uh, profiteering friend. There's the beast, and then there's the prince [01:05:00] Ardawn. And when you think of the three faces, you can't help but think of the moon.

The moon of the three faces, the, the, um, maiden, the matron, and the crone. You know, and, and again with Diana, the statue coming to life and being the one who slays the evil beast. Um, you, it's such a fascinating parallel that he brings up, uh, that, but in the three faces of the prince itself. And so, you know, they live happily ever after and that's the end of the film.

The fairy tale ends on a much more interesting Note. Actually what I find interesting about the end of the film is the audience's reaction, which is we actually like to more as the be as the beast because you didn't need to turn the beast into something beautiful. There was something beautiful in the beast, you know, in that melancholy, in that plutonian uh, visage.

Um, but, but at the end of the fairytale, the sisters. Because they cannot get [01:06:00] over their envy, okay? Every time Belle appears, they are full of envy and they can't get over it. The prince has them turned into statues, but they're living statues, okay? And so they, they, they stand outside the palace, these living statues.

So the sisters are alive, they're breathing, and they're immortal. Okay, because they are now statues, but they can't move, they're statues. And over time, and this is how the writer puts it, over time the sisters the sisters appreciate beauty. They learn the error of their ways.

They, they, they, they reflect and are remorseful over the cruelty of beauty. But they never turn back from statues, they live forever as statues because the thing that they can never get past is the envy. You know, so, so the sisters actually are full of remorse and they see where they had done evil and, and, and are, and, and, and, and [01:07:00] repent, but they can never get past the envy.

Okay, that's the thing that stays in their heart. And that's the thing that makes them remain living statues for all of time.

So, What we have here with the story of Beauty and the Beast, with the Pluto and the Venus Square, this struggle, but it's a very complex struggle. It's a very dramatic struggle.

Beauty brings about her own fate because she's beautiful. You know, Pluto has a beholding but also predatory flavor, or the sisters are full of envy. And so that leaves us with the question, how do we deal with beauty? in our own lives. How do we deal with the fact that people might want something from us, or might want to possess us, or might want to control us [01:08:00] because of our very attractiveness?

We can't say, oh, well, that's their problem. I'm so beautiful. I'm too beautiful to deal with that. But when you know, it's, it's something that's at the base of that. I mean, I can't help but think of people that we, you know, see as beautiful in society, you know, um, you know, think of Kim Kardashian, there, there's a Libra, there's someone who's ruled by, by Venus, you know, um, Taylor Swift is like another, you know, people who are beautiful, um, and, and that people, you know, like worship or they behold, but there's also sort of envy quality, there's also a sort of, almost predatory quality that can come up, uh, between fans and celebrities.

You know, I mean, we all know stories of stalkers and things like that. But if you go even underneath that still, there's a kind of, um, glee. If the person falls from their pedestal, if they go through a bad time, or if they lose their, [01:09:00] you know, there's kind of like this, you know, uh, people who once followed them are kind of like, well, it was time for them to get that, or time for them to understand, you know, so there's a, it's interesting how that kind of jealousy, uh, how that kind of contempt for what's beautiful can play out, and it's something that's interesting.

Thank you. to think about whether you're playing the Venus role or the Pluto role in the upcoming square between Venus and Pluto on December 3rd.