Astrology for the 21st Century

And so, long overdue, to the final instalment of my Shrink Rap entries.

Below is Kathleen Turner's birthchart. Please keep in mind that there is no known birthtime for Kathleen, so ignore the house cusps in this diagram and consider the Moon's position as approximate. If she was born after 26 minutes past midnight, the Moon was in Aquarius, and if prior to that Capricorn.

Kathleen Turner was born with the Sun approaching its opposition with Mars, a position that indicates the self choosing either an offensive or a defensive position not only vis-a-vis its environment, but within itself - inside, a person can feel very attacked, as if they have to fight for their life all the time, constantly caught up in a battle, directing one's vitality not to thriving but surviving. There is a defiance to this configuration, a sort of 'f*** you', combined with a disdain and disregard of all that stands in the way of one's goals and anything that impedes one's forward movement, as well as a heightened sense of sexual potency.

Being born when the Sun-Mars midpoint is aligned with 0 degrees of Aries greatly reinforces this basic life-theme, this core self as a wilful being, masculine in essence, dominating by default, surviving by necessity, triumphing by spirited defiance, soldiering on, pitting one's wits, throwing ones energies forwards and outwards, confronting and seeking the power to direct one's own fate (and perhaps that of others too) - 'I'm in charge and don't you forget it, and I intend to master my environment rather than be overcome by difficulties'.

Kathleen talked about the arguments with co-stars she's had, as well as the autoimmune nature of her rheumatoid arthritis. Both of these express the symbolism of Sun opposite Mars. (Note: there is no cause-effect connection implied here, this is just drawing attention to a synchronous process, where the symbolism of various parts of reality - in the sky, at work, in the body - coincide and are 'lined up' so to speak.)

With Mars in Capricorn, there is a tough, hard casing that carries on, and on, no matter what, like a marathon runner as opposed to a sprinter. With Saturn in Scorpio, there is this subdued smouldering sexual aggression, coupled with a ferocious will harnessed for the long haul (Margaret Thatcher had Saturn in Scorpio, and is a good example of the wilfulness and self-controlled nature of this placement.) Coping with her illness undoubtedly requires these qualities: survival is the issue, and so forces must be marshalled in that direction.

But alongside all that, and sometimes covered up by all that, is a profound relationship with fear. It's almost like there is a continual game of 'chicken' being played, being challenged by fear and taunting fear in response. Wherever there is 'fight' there has been some trigger that forced a choice: 'fight, flee, or freeze'. Kathleen chose 'fight', and so there is an up-front directness and spontaneity rather than a running away, a projection of strength rather than a contracting into fear, and an emphasis on action and domination rather than passivity and giving in/up.

With Sun (father) conjunct Jupiter in Cancer, Kathleen's father was seen by her as the beneficent protector and problem-solver; she spoke in the programme of being able to literally call on his help anywhere in the world as long as she could get to a USA embassy. This also picks up the configuration of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn: Mars and Jupiter are opposite, with Saturn trine Jupiter and sextile Mars. This Sun-Mars-Jupiter-Saturn combination suggests a sense of entitlement and status, particularly with Venus in Leo, as well as a bias towards action and achievement, doing and expressing. On a lighter note, this Mars-Jupiter aspect, along with Venus in Leo and the Sun in Gemini, shows Kathleen's capacity to enjoy herself, which she remarked on in the programme, and to spread that enjoyment through her acting. Her teaching of acting is also here, indicated by Sun in Gemini conjunct Jupiter in Cancer.

These themes of endurance and teaching are backed up by the parans between Kathleen's planets and stars. Since her birth time is unknown, the parans shown here are only those which were within throughout her day of birth.

Mercury
Anti-culminating when Rukbat is Culminating
A level headed approach to life, a good head for business

Mars
Rising when Facies is Rising
Endurance, physical or mental, for good or for evil
Culminating when Zosma is Setting
To work in impossible, or extremely difficult, circumstances

Jupiter
Culminating when Vindemiatrix is Rising
To gather others around an idea, a teacher

Saturn
Rising when Sualocin is Anti-culminating
An unconventional person, the eccentric
Culminating when Hamal is Anti-culminating
Hard physical or intellectual choices that can cause frustration or anger
Setting when Vindemiatrix is Setting
Exploring, or collecting information in order to implement new systems
Setting when Procyon is Anti-culminating
To try and build a body of work in difficult, or changing, circumstances

This week's edition of Shrink Rap featured Salman Rushdie in conversation with Pamela Connolly. As with the Joan Rivers programme, I think that Pamela slightly missed the mark in the things she emphasised. Salman is another of the many Sun-in-Gemini guests Pamela's interviewing for this series; interesting that. Anyway, without further ado or adon't, here's Salman's birthchart:

Not sure of the accuracy of the birthtime, so house cusps need to be treated with caution, and the Moon's exact position too.

If the birthtime is even approximately correct, Salman's got both the Sun and Moon in Gemini, conjunct each other. He's also got Venus in Gemini, and the outer planet Uranus too. The Sun-Moon conjunction is also conjunct Uranus. This quickly paints the picture of someone who is 'in his head', who will almost certainly reject the value of emotional feelings, and the value of the body's sensations. During the conversation this was evident, although not discussed, unfortunately. It is, in fact, possibly the most important theme of the chart: overemphasis on thought and knowledge and data and communication, dismissal of and discomfort with feelings and the life of the body as a physical organism.

Salman talked about his distance - both emotionally and physically - from his parents. This remoteness is shown in the chart by the conjunct of the parental significators, i.e. the Sun and the Moon, conjunct Uranus and in an Air Sign. Salman said that his primary caretaker was not his mother but his nanny, and when his parents offered him the chance to go away to the UK to study he jumped at the chance, and didn't really write many letters to his parents. Salman said he often wondered why he'd jumped at the chance, but it's not difficult to detach from people who you've never really bonded with and who, in fact, you feel not only an outsider in relation to, but also superior to (something that either wasn't broadcast, or Pamela missed or chose not to comment on).

Pamela focused on perfectionism and sense of not being good enough and loved enough, thanking Salman when he spoke her words for her in the form of 'be perfect, or dead'. Speaking astrologically, Salman's psyche is not one that revolves around perfectionism at all. Salman is instead the archetypal herald and factotum of the Gods, telling other people's stories for them - he said this was the highest compliment someone could give a writer - speaking their words, writing their thoughts - just as he did with Pamela which led to her thanking him, although I'm not sure if she realised at the time what was going on. He had picked up on her thoughts, the direction of her words, the story she was trying to tell, and neatly summarised it for her. She, meanwhile, seemed to think she'd finally broken thought to his his child-self's conclusions formed by his relationships with his parents. I thought it was his Geminian impish side coming out, acting as the mediator and translator of other people's ideas, with an element of trickery so as to always evade capture, just as Hermes/Mercury (the planet that rules Gemini is named after this God) did in the myths. In short, he was using words to play a tune pleasing to the listener, whilst giving away nothing deeper - Gemini remains on the surface but can simulate depth when required, its skill is in mimicry and sometimes it can all add up to double-dealing.

Throughout the interview Salman acted as if he was intellectually superior to her in terms of figuring himself out, and figuring out human nature. He more or less came clean about this later in the interview when Pamela asked him about his previous experience of psychotherapy, and he explained that he held one of his former psychotherapists in contempt, calling it 'writer's arrogance' - which is to perfectly encapsulate his Geminian planets - because a writer's job is to reflect on their life and so what could a psychotherapist possibly tell him that he doesn't already know', and that he thought there was no difference between thought and emotion, they both exist 'in the brain'. Typical comments for someone so 'heady' and whose ego (in both senses of the word) pivots on the articulation of pure thought, yet who must use fictional stories to appeal to people's emotional sensibilities in order to capture people's attention: Mercury in Cancer, possibly on the IC at the foundation of the chart.

There is a lot that could be written about the upset his writings caused. The impish, provocative nature of the Sun, Moon, Venus, and Uranus cluster in Gemini has already been mentioned. As Pamela and Salman discussed, he won't compromise his speaking the truth as he sees it. This is so profoundly important to someone with these sorts of astrological placements, but with such an emphasis and in a chart that has Mars opposite Jupiter across the Fixed Signs of Taurus and Scorpio, compromise is not generally on the table and a 'devil may care' attitude can easily take hold, coupled with the nature of Fixed Signs to be long and drawn out. At the time when Salman attempted to limit the publication and translation of his book, Pluto was conjunct Salman's Jupiter (religion, beliefs, publication) and opposite his Mars, indicating how he was having to deal with the threats that can be unleashed when extending himself out into the world. With transiting Saturn opposite his Sun-Moon conjunction, he tried to delimit his creative output in order to protect himself and his family.

Salman talked about the 13-year period during which he strived for literary success (despite actually achieving it in 1981...transiting Neptune opposing and transiting Pluto trining his Sun-Moon conjunction, with Pluto squaring his Mercury). Anyone who studies astrology immediately thinks of Saturn's cycle when they hear something of that duration. The 13-year period in question is 1975 to 1988, from the publication of his first book, which was largely unsuccessful, to the publication of the Satanic Verses. In terms of planetary cycles, Saturn was conjunct Salman's Mercury in 1975, and possibly also his IC if the birthtime is accurate. Over the next 13 years it would then climb up the chart to the MC, and towards the opposition with Mercury, but the most important thing is this: on the date of publication of the Satanic Verses, Saturn and Uranus were conjunct at 26-27 degrees of Sagittarius directly opposite Salman's Sun-Moon conjunction at 26-27 Gemini.

A quick look at Salman's star-planet parans shows, amongst other things, the following:-

Sun rising when Zosma is anti-culminating - To receive, or cause, suffering

Mercury culminating when Castor is Culminating - A skill with words and language

Venus rising when Capella is Rising - To challenge the values of society
"You will strive to be free of the restrictions society can place on a person, and will be inclined to act outside of the social norm, or even to challenge the unspoken rules of society.... this combination will see you struggling to deal with your need for family and support versus your strong desire for independence. Learn to express your independent nature in an appropriate cause, thereby ensuring a mroe settled domestic life."

Saturn culminating when Hamal is Setting - Hard physical or intellectual choices that can cause frustration or anger

In summary, Salman's chart is one that suggests someone who rebels against accepting a life of ordinary mortals. There is an intellectual commitment to the truth, undoubtedly, and a facility with language that borders on an utterly total involvement with this sphere, but there is also an arrogance, and considerable problems with emotions, forming deeper connections with people, closeness both literally and emotionally, bodily experiences and physical realities, and living within sensible limits.

OK, so this posting is late, and one edition of Shrink Rap wasn't posted about here, the reason being that.......I didn't watch it. No offence but Gene Simmons doesn't interest me. I set up the articles to write about Tony Curtis and Kathleen Turner, and then didn't get round to watching the programmes..... whoops..... but since then I've caught up with them on 4od (Channel 4's 'on demand' service, which is useful but not very well executed at all).

So, to the edition with the American actor Tony Curtis. First of all, here's his birthchart. I've no idea of the birthtime's accuracy - common sense always suggests that rounded times such as on the hour should be treated with a great deal of caution, so I'm not setting much store by the Cancerian Ascendant etc:-

In the programme Tony talked about the pain of losing his brother when young, and the abusiveness of his mother. He discussed his illness, his addictive use of drugs and alcohol, his looks, and his sexual relationships.

Not sure what to make of his interview really. I'm not sure he was very in touch with himself, and it seemed like he couldn't help but to act 'Tony Curtis' rather than just express his character naturally. Then again, why would someone agree to go on a programme such as this, but to promote something, even if only themselves?  I'm just not really sure that the real person turned up at all, for whatever reason/s that might be.

Certainly, if a person wanted therapy, this programme isn't intended to be it, and why, if you wanted to undergo therapy, would you want it filmed and broadcasted? So everyone's motivation for being interviewed is open to question from the start..... and yet never, of course, questioned during the programme.

I think his chart is quite disconnected. The planets are scattered around the wheel, making no real shape, design, or pattern, and that in itself is, by definition, the nature of it and hence of the personality it reflects. The Sun in Gemini can indicate a tendency to a scattered self - or rather, selves - in any case, as if the self is by nature a trickster and mercurial, unable and unwilling to be pinned down even by oneself, and the Sun's lack of aspects shows a core 'I' that is difficult to connect to, and yet which, paradoxically, can burn strongly when it does come out to play.

The Sun's sesquiquadrate with the Moon shows someone not at ease with themselves, someone who has to struggle with issues before becoming comfortable in their own skin. If the birthtime is within a few hours of being accurate, then the Moon is definitely in Libra, and the Sun-Moon Air Sign duet can reflect a person who talks and socially interacts well, but is not necessarily at ease with going a bit deeper. The Moon is also in trine to Venus, which is in Gemini along with the Sun, so there is an Airiness here where the self is reflected back through others based on appearances, and favourable feedback. In Tony's case, that centred on his physical appearance, rather than the surface expressions of his personality or intellect for instance, and so there are elements of the narcissistic wound.

The Sun's other aspect is a semisextile with Pluto. That shows an ambivalence about deeper emotions and experiences that trigger becoming acquainted with depth. This aspect also shows how his glory (Sun) was always linked with Plutonic issues: the death of his brothers, the hatred he grew up around, the jealousies of his appearance and the sense of threat created, and so on. An aspect like this requires a depth that Gemini and Libra just do not possess and are ill-equipped to develop. A person can go into very painful territory. During the interview this was discussed as 'courting death'.

The Sun's parans with fixed stars show Tony's other topics of discussion: his constant battling through life:-

Solar parans:

    Rising when Aculeus is Setting
        A person who grows in strength through attacks or difficulties. A battler
    Rising when Acumen is Setting
        Personal attacks on one’s credibility
    Rising when Arcturus is Setting
        A pathfinder, to break new ground
    Rising when Alphard is On Nadir
        A person of strong passions who can become angry, violent or aggressive
    On Nadir when Regulus is Setting
        To receive honours and awards, provided one avoids matters of vengeance

It's recently been announced that Boris Johnson has won the election for Mayor of London. Boris's time of birth isn't available so ignore the house cusps in this chart wheel and make due allowances for the Moon's degree and aspects.

Although the out-going Mayor, Ken Livingstone, is 20 years older, both he and Boris have the Sun conjunct: Boris's Sun is 28 Gemini, Ken's is 25 Gemini. They also both have a planet at 28 Gemini: Ken has Mercury there, Boris has Venus there. Boris has two more personal planets in Gemini (Mercury and Mars), making him the more Geminian of the two.

Boris is part of the mid-60s generation that was born when Uranus conjoined Pluto and they both opposed Saturn. A turbulent time of great social change, the generation resonates with the 'now and next' period that we're in as Uranus opposes Saturn this year and until 2010, and then Uranus and Pluto form a square aspect later on. We are coming to a period of great socio-political, cultural and technological change, and we need to make sure that 'change = progress'. With this election result, there are clearly a lot of people who think that people like Boris are going to bring about that equation.

The chart for yesterday's elections was published in this blog on 16th March with comments and interpretation - here's the link

Interesting to see the way it's playing out as the results are being announced, with the swing towards the Conservative party and the very strong rejection of the Labour party.

Previous blog posts over the last 2 years have talked about the meltdown of the Labour party; looks like we're seeing that meltdown proceed to the next stage now.