Regulus, along with Fomalhaut, Aldebaran and Antares, were known as the four royal stars by the ancient Persians, because they appeared to be associated with the rise and fall of kings and leaders over peoples and states. When conjunct the astrological Sun, Moon, Ascendant, or MC of individuals, it would catapult them into power and prominence, as well downfall or demise. Regulus in particular was associated with kingship, especially during its stay in Leo(2000-156 BC), the sign of kings. The other three stars in the cross would serve as challenging or balancing forces to this influence.

Another special feature about Regulus was its proximity to the ecliptic(about half a degree), giving it strong resonance to the Sun and therefore power and regality. This is especially so when the Sun and Regulus are in conjunction as well as parallel during the late August or Leo-Virgo cusp period. This is when the powers that be(Leo) are highlighted or when the masses(Virgo) make their presence felt.

All four royal stars have since moved from the fixed to the mutable signs at different times during the last 700 years or so beginning with the Aldebaran-Antares half of the cross around 1300 AD. The move from Taurus-Scorpio into Gemini-Sagittarius may have been the driving force behind the birth of the Renaissance movement as well as the colonization to the Americas. The printing press(Gemini) and the spread of the scriptures(Sagittarius) were also outcomes of this. Alderbaran is currently at about 10° Gemini tropical and Antares at about 10° Sagittarius tropical.

Beginning in 1725, the other half of the cross began asserting itself as Fomalhaut moved from Aquarius to Pisces, ushering in Great Britain as a dominant sea power, steam power, the Victorian era, secret societies, and mystical religions. It may also be behind the more modern developments of oil, chemicals, film, photography, psychology, and collectivism, and will no doubt continue to spawn even further developments. Fomalhaut is currently at 4° of tropical Pisces.

Lagging behind the other three is Regulus which moves permanently from Leo to Virgo on November 29th, 2011 AD. Finally, all four stars will be in the same mode again, balancing each other out, and officially ushering in the mutable era or epoch of humanity where learning, communicating, and adapting will be central or pivotal to our existence. Gemini, Sagittarius, and Pisces have given us the knowledge, ethics, and intuitive capacities of the mutable mode, but Virgo will put all of these into practical or tangible application. The importance and ethics of food or agriculture, labor, health, climate, and environment will finally take hold in a big way.

The decentralization of power from kings or leaders to the common working people or masses is another important development of Regulus moving into Virgo and this is already taking shape in the Occupy movements all over the globe. Monarchies and autocratic rule will meet their match as the power(Regulus) now flows to the people(Virgo). Other influences, such as Uranus in Aries, the discovery of Eris, Transpluto?(also moving from Leo to Virgo), the Mayan calendar, the population explosion, the Internet, etc., are of course also adding to the momentum.

Another star worthy of mention is Alcyone(central star of the Pleaides) which moved from Taurus to Gemini in 2000 AD. If Alcyone is the star aound which our Sun orbits(others say Sirius) then this is a major event. This means that our solar system as a whole is moving from materialistic Taurus to intellectual Gemini.

The four Royal stars moving from the Fixed to the Mutable signs

Below is an ephemeris for Regulus for the 2010-2013 AD period when it is making its transition from Leo to Virgo. The positions are for noon UT(Universal Time or London Time) unless otherwise specified and are calculated using the free and excellent ZET Lite 9 astrological software