Does Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812 have anything to do with astrology?  The musical, which has been produced to wide acclaim for over four years, recently opened on Broadway.  It’s adapted from a segment of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace.

When Pierre sees the comet at the end of the show he feels joyful and uplifted, and that he’s entering a new life.  It speaks to his soul.  And through the millennia, astrologers have looked to the skies in the same way.  The represent a higher plane, especially when things are going in our favor!

The Great Comet had been associated with the War of 1812 (as well as the powerful New Madrid earthquakes in the U.S.), but it actually appeared in 1811, and had faded out by the time that Napoleon entered Russia in the spring of 1812.  Wine bottled in 1811 was renowned for its quality, as are other “comet vintages.”

And Tolstoy had given a twist to the traditional interpretation of a comet, which often portended disaster.  Comets were typically unexpected, not regular and predictable as the stars and planets, and therefore not to be trusted.  The dispute among the producers before the show’s Broadway opening is more in keeping with a cometary influence.