The feast of the Coronation of Mary shines like a seal of light upon the cycle of the heavens. It is celebrated on August 22, when the Queen is seen crowned in eternity, clothed with the splendour of the Sun and raised into the celestial court. This is also a mirror of the cosmos. The Virgin crowned is the soul lifted to the throne, Sophia transfigured into the realm of eternity. The image joins heaven and earth; it shows that matter, once sanctified, welcomes the diadem of glory.
Today, the celebration is marked by a remarkable alignment in the skies. The Sun, ruler of Leo, is at the last degree of its sign, about to pass from the throne of fire into Virgo. The Moon, companion of the cycle, is likewise preparing to leave Leo and enter Virgo, ending her regal course and bowing towards the earth of harvest. This double transition deepens the meaning of the Coronation, since Mary is crowned at the close of the fiery kingdom and at the dawn of the mutable earth. She is the bridge between splendour and service, triumph and offering.
I. The Queen Crowned Among the Stars
The Coronation draws its roots from Apocalypse 12, where a woman appears clothed with the Sun, crowned with twelve stars, standing upon the Moon. This vision has long been read as an image of the Mother of Christ, who shares in the victory of her Son. But it goes further. The crown of stars speaks of the celestial wisdom woven into the order of creation. The woman standing on the Moon unites the changeable and the eternal. The Sun that clothes her is the light of the Logos, filling her being with radiance.
In liturgy, the Coronation marks the fulfilment of the Assumption, sealing Mary as Queen of Heaven and Lady of the Angels. In the Tree, this belongs to Netzach, the sphere of victory and beauty, ruled by Venus and under the guardianship of Haniel. Netzach is the place where love flowers into triumph. The Principalities, choir of angels under Haniel, govern nations and kingdoms; their presence affirms that this crowning is enacted within history, the life of peoples and lands. The Virgin crowned appears as the living Rose at the centre of the cosmic and human order.
II. The Sun and the Moon Departing Leo
Today the heavens mirror the feast with striking clarity. The Sun, lord of Leo, is at the gate of departure, abandoning the fixed throne of fire to enter the mutable earth of Virgo. The kingly force of radiance gives way to the service of harvest, to discernment and humility.
The Moon follows close behind, still within Leo yet about to step into Virgo, ending her cycle within the same movement as the Sun. The two luminaries enact a passage from royalty to offering, fire to earth. This speaks directly to the mystery of the Coronation. The Queen is exalted at the summit of Leo, but her crown does not remain locked in splendour. It turns towards the earth, to Virgo, the sign of the Virgin who serves, tends, and brings forth fruit.
The coronation is a charge to embody heavenly radiance in the modest labour of the world. It is a marriage of fire and earth, of Sun and wheat, glory and humility. The crown shines also in the harvest fields, in the hidden gestures of care, in the ordering of life towards wisdom. The cosmic passage of this day inscribes the teaching upon the heavens themselves, revealing that victory is fulfilled only when it descends into the work of Love.
III. Venus and Netzach
That the feast falls this year on a Friday, day of Venus, intensifies its harmony with the Tree. Venus as Stella Matutina is the morning star, the light before dawn, the herald of hope. In Netzach she rules over beauty, love, and triumph. To crown Mary upon this day is to seal her as the true Morning Star, who reflects the light of Christ and gathers creation into the dance of Love.
Haniel, the archangel of Netzach, guides this radiance and extends it into the choir of Principalities, entrusted with nations and realms. The coronation speaks of the destiny of peoples; it proclaims that authority is only true when crowned by wisdom and tempered by compassion. Venus gathers the rays of the Sun and softens them into splendour.
Mary, crowned upon Venus’s day, reveals that victory is clothed in gentleness. She embodies the Rose who blooms at the heart of the world, drawing kingdoms into her light.
Fiat Lux.