Miguel de Cervantes (September 20, 1547 OS – April 22, 1616 NS)

On this day in 1605, Miguel de Cervantes’ novel Don Quixote is first published.

It’s hard to believe it was so long ago.

Cervantes claimed to have written over 20 plays, such as El trato de Argel, based on his experiences in captivity. Such works were extremely short-lived, and even Lope de Vega, the best-known playwright of the day, could not live on their proceeds. In 1585, he published La Galatea, a conventional pastoral romance that received little contemporary notice; despite promising to write a sequel, he never did so.

Aside from these, and some poems, by 1605, Cervantes had not been published for 20 years. In Don Quixote, he challenged a form of literature that had been a favourite for more than a century, explicitly stating his purpose was to undermine ‘vain and empty’ chivalric romances. His portrayal of real life, and use of everyday speech in a literary context was considered innovative, and proved instantly popular. First published in January 1605, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza featured in masquerades held to celebrate the birth of Philip IV on 8 April.

Wikipedia

The time of this chart is arbitrary on my account (rectified so that the North Node happens when he’s 52, the year he published his most famous novel). The events of his youth are therefore highlighted before he reaches the age of 23. His literary works begin at (about) age 30 (Mercury @ 28° Libra 29′). This makes him Aries Rising. There are several inconjuncts, with two forming a Yod, pointing at Mars.

In Journey to Parnassus, published two years before his death in 1616, Cervantes claimed to have “lost the movement of the left hand for the glory of the right”.

Good pun.

Sun Inconjunct Jupiter

This can be an extremely useful aspect, if you learn to have more self-control in what you do. Jupiter is always high-spirited, wanting to do and encounter everything and enjoy life thoroughly. Yet in some combinations, it means that you are unwilling to work for what you want. You may feel that you are such a fine person that you deserve to have everything done for you. Certainly you are worthwhile in your own way, but that doesn’t give you a right to be taken care of without contributing your share.

Venus Inconjunct Ascendant

Your close friends and loved ones discover that you are quite different in a close relationship than you appear at first. It is not that you are dishonest, but that you show a side of yourself to your friends that you usually keep hidden, often because you are not entirely confident in that role. You may feel unsure that others will like you or accept your affection. This is one reason why you express your love by doing nice things for people. You are trying to win them over.

Mars Inconjunct Jupiter

With this aspect you are probably quite active, with abundant energy for everything you want to do. But you must learn to control your energies rather than have them control you. You may inclined to take excessive risks, to try out things that you are not sure you can do. But be careful, because with this aspect the energies of Mars and Jupiter do not work very smoothly together. If you overextend yourself and try to do more than you are physically capable of, you may have an accident. Also you may be clumsy when you take up a new activity until you learn to control your physical body better.

Mars Inconjunct Neptune

With this aspect you must learn to stand up for yourself and demand your rights forthrightly and directly. Often you feel that you don’t have enough energy to assert yourself or that any such effort would be futile. Unfortunately, some people with this aspect learn to work behind the scenes or dishonestly. Others simply give up or take a defeatist attitude toward life.

Sometimes this aspect operates on the physical plane as well. You may have a generally low energy level and feel tired all the time but not able to sleep because of nervousness. You may actually need more sleep than others, and if so, you should try to get it. This aspect may also indicate that you tend to have allergies and infections.

Uranus Inconjunct Pluto

This aspect indicates changes in the world of the people who were born at this time, changes that were difficult to understand because they were very revolutionary but subtle in many ways.

Don Quixote Quotes that Illustrate the Man who Wrote Them

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Amen.