Bob Dylan and Suze Rotolo – Freewheelin’ along in the 60’s

Suze Rotolo, the former girlfriend of legend Bob Dylan, one the foremost inspirations behind his music has passed away, aged 67. Dylan said she lit up his life for the 3 years they were together and was the radical voice behind a lot of his work, she also inspired him to take up painting more seriously.

Suze was an intense, secretive Scorpio. The highlight behind Suze’s chart (20 Nov 43 – Queens, New York – no birth-time) was a T-square based around a Uranus/Mercury opposition. Uranus was in Gemini and Mercury in expansive Sagittarius. Here is the voice of the rebel, the dissenter, the one who wants to communicate change, and a supporter of freedom, especially abroad. Adding an aggressive and anti-establishment side to her nature was a Mars/Saturn conjunction also in communicative Gemini. From this conjunction,  Mars makes a intense quindecile to the Mercury – her voice was an angry one. The opposition energy was channelled by separate squares to a focus at a Moon/Jupiter conjunction (for this to be active she would have needed to be born probably before midday), the emotions again directed towards philosophy and an interests of an international nature.  This conjunction straddles Virgo and Leo, the moon in Virgo is a critical voice and Jupiter in Leo is fixed and stubborn. Suze travelled to Cuba when it was illegal to do so from the US in showing her opposition to the travel ban. This was a personal cause to her as well as emotional, the Jupiter representing her beliefs and travel squaring her Sun.

Suze was a woman who appreciated beauty and communicated it. She had a Venus/Neptune conjunction in Libra which formed that point of a wedge formation. That rebel energy from the Mercury/Uranus opposition was converted by trine and sextile into music and art. Later in her life, she taught art at a New York Art school, another manifestation of the Jupiter t-square.

This was a passionate lady, Venus sextile Pluto (intensified by the Scorpio Sun) would mean her relationships would be deep, but also combustible. There was another overseer in her relationships too. Pluto sits on her North Node, she had a controlling bond with her Mother. Whoever went out with Suze had the shadow of her mother over him. Maybe it was her influence that was the reason for Bob and Suze breaking up in 1964?

Lets look at the composite chart. We see shared beliefs communicated though emotion (Mercury sextile Jupiter/Moon). An anti-establishment, wanting to change Saturn/Uranus conjunction square the composite Sun, they spoke in opposition with one voice. There was determination, Mars trine Sun and creativity Uranus trine Neptune. There would have been an electric attraction between the two with Venus sextile Uranus, but with Venus conjunct Pluto which is also sextile back to Saturn, there were control issues and some authoritarian voice in the mix. Pluto conjunct Venus on a composite chart is difficult, often there is a intense union that will not last the course. It would have been memorable though, which Dylan has openly admitted.