Fables, stories, and fairy tales offer extremely vivid expressions of archetypes. There is something about the timeless nature of these stories that seems to resonate with something eternal in us. One of the most enduring of these is the fairy tale, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.” I probably do not need to provide the plot as most are familiar with the story. It was originally published in 1812 as part of the collection, “Grimm’s Fairy Tales”. A little over a century later, Walt Disney immortalized the story with his rendition through the widely celebrated motion picture.

As a system, astrology is known to offer insights into the recurring nature of archetypal symbolism, but can it be used to evaluate fairy tales like Snow White? This may sound like a strange proposition because the story is fictional. There is no actual date in time as to when the events took place. But astrology tends to correlate with anything at its inception, so the initial manifestation of this story may offer a way to view this tale through this unique archetypal language.

Unfortunately, to find an exact date and time for the initial publishing would be impossible. And even if we could, because it was included in a collection, it would be difficult to isolate which astrological symbols and dynamics specifically correspond to the Snow White story. So, if we cannot use any of the information related to the story’s original publication, then we must default to the cultural milestone of its reinterpretation via the Walt Disney movie. This movie’s world premiere is well documented to have occurred on December 21, 1937 and an advertisement from the Los Angeles Times further specifies that the specific moment of release was at 8:45 pm.

With a date and time confirmed, we have a chart to delineate. Will this chart accurately reflect the story that was originally written over a century earlier? Let us find out!

The Princess and The Evil Step-Mother

As with most astrological charts, the entry point is usually the Ascendant or rising sign. The Ascendant in the sign of Leo highlights that the main character will have some connection to royalty. They may be a king, queen, prince, or princess. This character will also be charismatic, larger than life, and be visibly outgoing. This is fitting as Snow White is a princess with a personality that shined. And with a Leo Ascendant, the Sun would be the ruler of the chart and symbolize additional characteristics of the main character. The Sun is in Sagittarius, a sign well known for its positivity, its love of animals, and general optimistic view of life. These characteristics also fit Snow White’s personality. She made friends with all the animals of the forest, sang most of her problems away, and maintained a cheery outlook despite the harsh circumstances imposed upon her by her step-mother. Venus is in loose conjunction with the Sun and conjunctions to the chart ruler by the planetary archetype for beauty is an astrological signature for physical beauty. Snow White was so beautiful that she was recognized as the “fairest in the land.” Finally, the Sun’s placement in the 5th house of children has a correlation to Snow White’s status as a child and princess. This may also symbolize that this is a creative fairy tale for children.

Snow White’s step-mother is more challenging to identify within the chart. Usually, the 4th house and its ruler have a correlation with the biological mother. But when considering the “second” iteration of any area of life, we count three houses over from that original house to arrive at the house and area that represents that following instance. By counting three houses over from the 4th house we arrive at the 6th house. As a result, the 6th house represents the step-mother because it is the “second” mother. The cusp of this house is in the sign of Capricorn which is ruled by Saturn. Saturn is placed in the 8th house and in square aspect to the Sun. As an archetype, Saturn represents control. It is placed in the sign of Pisces, a sign quality that is known to dabble in things that do not exist in reality. It would make sense that the step-mother practices magic and uses it to control others. Saturn’s 8th house placement reveals some additional dark themes. This house corresponds to an area of life that includes death, the occult, dysfunction, and toxicity. The step-mother’s manipulation of dark magic to cause pain and attack and murder correlate well to these dynamics.

Jealousy & Hatred

The opposition to Neptune in Virgo hints that the step-mother is struggling to maintain an image of perfection that is probably not attainable. Neptune is the magic mirror and its square to Venus indicates that it is advising the step-mother on beauty. The problem is that this beauty is aligned (by conjunction) with Snow White, not the step-mother. Neptune is telling her this through its aspect to both Venus and Saturn. That is why the step-mother hates Snow White and this hatred is symbolized by the square aspect between Saturn and the Sun. This hatred devolved into madness and evil (8th house placement) and she decides to kill Snow White. The trine aspect between Pluto and Saturn highlights that the step-mother is dangerous, powerful, and capable. She will not hesitate and has the ability and resources to complete this evil intent. Pluto’s placement in the 12^th in addition to its dispositor Moon’s placement in the 1^st house and at the apex of a Yod configuration show that an emotional comparison to Snow White’s physical appearance has motivated the step-mother’s (Saturn at the base) hidden plans (12^th) to destroy her (Pluto, but also 8^th ruler Jupiter at the base).

Yod configurations have been observed to have a “fated” feel to them. They can steer our lives in ways that feel out of our control. The Moon’s placement by house and Yod configuration while also in opposition to Mars represent the attack on her mother that was a fate that deeply affected her general identity (1^st house placement). She does not know who she is because her mother was taken from her before she knew her.

What About the Parents?

The movie barely references Snow White’s parents, but their absence looms heavily throughout the plot. According to the original fairy tale, her mother died shortly after childbirth and her father died of an illness during her early childhood. The cusp of the 4th house representing family is in the sign of Scorpio. Scorpio has two rulers. The traditional ruler is Mars and the modern ruler is Pluto. Both rulers are involved in a second Yod configuration with the Sun and Pluto. Pluto is the apex planet and placed in the 12^th house. Pluto is an archetype that deals with life and death types of situations that can transform our lives. The 12th house is where things become lost. It is where suffering occurs. This second Yod more specifically represents the death of both parents and again highlights the fated nature of the configuration. Pluto’s retrograde status and the Sun’s involvement ensure that this loss would be deeply ingrained into Snow White’s personality (which reinforces the impact of the first Yod’s apex in the first house).

This second Yod also involves a 4th planet (Jupiter) opposing the apex. Jupiter represents a type of reaction to the manifestation unleashed by Pluto at the apex on the other end. Jupiter rules the 8th house of death, is placed in the 6th, and disposits the Sun. We saw earlier that the 6th house signifies the step-mother, but it also represents daily work and duties. In more ancient forms of astrology, this was also extended to servitude and slavery. This means that the death of Snow White’s parents resulted in her essentially becoming a servant to her step-mother.

Unfortunately, Snow White is not aware of her step-mother’s intentions and has many questions regarding her parents’ deaths. The opposition between the Sun and Chiron in Gemini shows that she suffers because she does not have all the information. Chiron is placed in the 11th house, which is the derived 8th from the 4th house (death of parents). Her parents’ deaths have marked her deeply, but even more so because she does not understand why. Chiron and it’s dispositor, Mercury, are both retrograde, so these enduring questions have hurt and impacted who she is. The problem is that the answers to her many questions will go through her step-mother. Saturn is in square aspect to both Chiron and the Sun, the apex of a T-square configuration. And with the mutual reception between Jupiter and Saturn, Jupiter’s rulership of 8th, Saturn’s placement in the 8th, and Saturn’s trine aspect to Pluto, it is highly probable that the step-mother may have been responsible for one or both of their deaths. The Sun’s anaretic placement at the last degree of Sagittarius confirms that to become who she is supposed to be she will eventually have to get her answers. She will eventually have to deal with her step-mother. There is no way around it.

The Seven Dwarves

The 11th house represents friends and acquaintances and it is here we will look for Snow White’s friends, the seven dwarves. The sign of Gemini is on the cusp of the 11th house making Mercury the ruler of this area. Mercury is in the hard-working earth sign of Capricorn and in tight trine aspect to the midheaven, the cusp of the 10th house of career. Given the dwarves profession as hard-working miners, this set of astro dynamics offer a strong correlation. Mercury is also in conjunction with the midpoint of the Sun and Jupiter which means that the dwarves are here to help Snow White. Because Mercury represents the lingering questions regarding the parents’ deaths as well as the dwarves, we may conclude that these friends will help her to find these answers.

Sleeping Death & The Prince

Eventually the step-mother drinks a magic potion that transforms her into ultimate image of the Saturn archetype, the old hag. She then tricks Snow White into eating a poison apple that puts her to sleep permanently, making her a prisoner in her own body. To understand this astrologically, we need to return to the Moon ruling the 12^th house of prisons and placed in the 1^st house of self. This Moon represents Snow White’s imprisonment by sleep. It is a literal representation of Snow White being imprisoned in her own body. It’s placement at the apex of the first Yod involving Jupiter (ruling 8^th of death) and Saturn (ruling 6^th of step-mother) symbolize this prominently, but so does its involvement in a third Yod with Jupiter (again, 8^th ruler) at the apex and Moon and Chiron at the base. But the step-mother had underestimated that this sleeping prison of death could be broken by the kiss of true love. This love was represented by the planet (Mars) opposing apex Moon in the first Yod. Mars is in the sign of dreamy, romantic Pisces and in the 7th house of significant others. This is her dream prince and his reaction to the sleeping prison at the other end was to kiss her to wake her up. Mars is Snow White’s dream prince. When she sang “One day my prince will come…” she was embodying the sextile from the Sun to Mars. This was Disney’s finest moment because it hauntingly channeled the archetypes within the chart. When people refer to “the magic of Disney,” this is it.

The Magic Mirror & The Finger of God

It may seem strange that we interpreted the same astro dynamics in different ways. For example, both Saturn and Mars are both placed in the sign of Pisces, but were delineated radically different. This is completely normal. Archetypal symbolism represented through astrological dynamics can manifest in different ways and still be true to its source. This does not mean that the symbolism can mean anything and that is what makes this all so fascinating. These symbols were aligned in such a way so that their limited range of meanings and images as well as the specific context based upon their relationships with the rest of the chart could be interpreted in a manner that reflects a story that was told at the exact moment it was initially told. In this way, astrology is a mirror that reflects the world around us. This includes what we think and create, because these things are a part of who we are, which is a part of something larger and immortal. The fairy tale of Snow White, when retold through this immortal symbolism, could be any of our lives manifested specifically. If the rare instance of three Yods in this chart say anything, it is to highlight the importance of fate that astrology reflects through its mirror. It shows us where the “finger of God” has pointed and declared that our lives will have a unique destiny. To the best of our efforts, we can try to work with that, but we cannot minimize the impact those fated events have on our lives. That is why these fairy tales are not just fictional. They resonate because they illuminate realities through artistic combinations of archetypal images that contain meaning for the specific, yet perceived arbitrary events in our lives. Astrology confirms that there is meaning. There is fate. And to understand these things, to perceive them, is akin the awakening from a sleeping death that this mortal existence often represents.