50 Shades of Grey – The dark erotic side of the Uranus and Pluto square.

Over the past weeks and months I have explored the various facets of the Uranus Pluto square which reached the first of it’s exact connections last weekend and today I explore another of them. I am looking at the phenomenal hype surrounding “50 Shades of Grey”, the first book in a trilogy of novels (the other two being “50 Shades Darker” and “50 Shades Freed”), written by E L James, who in real life is Erika Leonard, a 49 year old housewife from the UK. Everywhere one goes, women are talking about the book, texting and tweeting about it. Why? Let’s look at the astrology (yes, books can have an astrology chart too!!) and let me explain…

Unfortunately I do not have Erika’s birth details but I do have the launch date of the book back last year. 50 Shades of Grey was published in New York by Vintage Books on 20th June 2011, one would assume at midnight. Very appropriately, this gives the chart Gemini Sun in the 4th house – this book was written (Gemini) by a housewife (4th house) and Mercury in emotional Cancer (the sign of femininity) sits in the 5th house of creativity, and both the Sun and Mercury sit trine to inspirational Neptune conjunct a Pisces ascendant. In these connections we have a wonderful signature for storytelling & for writing female orientated literature. We have both Mars and Venus in the 3rd house of communication with Venus in Gemini opposite the Midheaven which encourages one to talk and write about love and relationships and Mars in Taurus quindecile the Midheaven which brings a more intimate and sexual feel to the writing, Mars in Taurus loves touching, contact & sensing what is going on, even in a forceful manner.

The Sun/Mercury conjunction is also part of a much bigger configuration, a cardinal cross connecting to Uranus in Aries, Saturn in Libra and Pluto in Capricorn. All the facets of the story are here, the rich controlling billionaire (Saturn/Pluto) Christian Grey, Ana the literature student (Mercury), serious issues about relationships (Saturn in Libra in 7th), the sex and the intimacy of Pluto and the uninhibited, bizarre erotic acts of Uranus in Aries. Combine this with touchy feely Mars in Taurus and the Moon in the 12th house in unpredictable Aquarius hinting at bizarre emotional experiences, sacrifice and service going on strictly behind closed doors and you have a dynamite concoction that lies in wait for Ana in the “Red Room of Pain”!!

There is so much more to this cardinal cross that meets the eye though. Not only has the content of the book fascinated and transfixed women of all ages, but for the first time because of electronic readers like the Kindle, one can read secretly in private (Mercury opposite Pluto) wherever one goes. Even if you are on a train, on a beach or in a public place, nobody knows what you are reading with one of these devices, and they have allowed women to get the kind of private sexual thrill wherever they are, whenever they want.   

Of course, women love chatting amongst themselves about these kind of issues (this is a strictly female thing as most of us in the male population are way too embarrassed to chat in this way!!) and so word of mouth between women of all persuasions has been the catalyst for the incredible success of the books. These discussions with friends and female colleagues are 11th house issues ruled by Uranus and Aquarius boosted by Pluto’s presence here, which if anything encourages the message to spread like wildfire.One last note, the orientation of the cardinal cross is really interesting connecting the 1st house of personal issues to the 7th house of relationships, the 5th house of affairs to the 11th house of receiving love. 

The trilogy have been a runaway business success shipping millions of copies and quite appropriately Jupiter sits in the 2nd house of making money trine to Pluto which promises huge wealth. Jupiter is also part of a mini grand trine connecting the 12th house Moon representing the female who hides her identity and works from behind the scenes and focusing on Neptune conjunct the Ascendant. This signature indicates that the books will be transformed (Pluto sextile Neptune) into film bringing the stories to an even wider audience. I understand the major movie companies were queuing up to sign a deal with Erika, and finally one was struck with Universal Pictures. Expect the films to be a runaway success.

Back in the 60’s when Uranus and Pluto last made a significant connection in prim and proper Virgo (a conjunction) the issues of the day were based around free love, and a revolution swept away the old staid attitudes to relationships and sex that had previously existed. This latest square is showing that these issues are back on the agenda again, however this square lasts 7 exact connections and three long years in cardinal signs. It may not quite be the swinging 60’s again, but maybe this decade will in the future be known as one where the darker intimate secrets of our private lives are thrust out in the open and become more socially acceptable?