Billy Connolly – Health concerns for the prince of Scottish comedy.

At the start of this year I met comedian and actor Billy Connolly very briefly at Heathrow Airport. I remember it being a freezing day in London and I remarked that if it was cold in London, the it must have been like the arctic circle in Scotland where Billy had just flown from. He looked at me disdainfully and quick as a flash in his broad Glaswegian accent he growled “How dare you!!”. I had just insulted his beloved Scottish nation and he didn’t want me to get away with it. Everyone around us laughed hysterically. Had he known I was also an Astrologer too, he would probably ripped me to pieces even more, but I wouldn’t have minded. A brief moment of banter with one of the funniest men alive. I was very much saddened today to hear that Billy has had a very recent operation for prostrate cancer, and he also has the early stages of Parkinson’s disease.

Randy Travis – Country music star critical in hospital with heart complaint.

Randy Travis is one of the most well known country music stars in the US and right now he is in hospital fighting for his life in a Dallas hospital after a virus he picked up caused a serious heart condition. Randy one of the most decorated musicians in the United States has had a chequered past recently crashing his car in August last year with the police finding him lying on the road blind drunk and naked, and a couple of weeks later he was charged with a drunken assault after fighting outside a church in Plano Texas. The illness he is suffering right now is clearly seen through the Astrology of his natal chart.

Prince Philip goes into hospital for exploratory surgery

Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh has had a bit of a tough year so far with regard to health problems although it is not really surprising that a 91 year old man, soon to be 92 is starting to feel the pace of a hectic life. Yesterday  he entered hospital in preparation for some exploratory surgery on his abdomen and this shows up very clearly on his natal chart.

Nelson Mandela recovers in hospital from lung infection

There has been a lot of concern about the health of the former President of South Africa Nelson Mandela in the past few months. Nelson is my humble opinion is one of the greatest men of the past century, however he is now 94 years of age and unfortunately not getting any younger. This latest bout of illness prompted him to be immediately taken to hospital, although there are signs that he is making a bit of a recovery.

Queen Elizabeth taking it easy as she recovers from stomach bug

Queen Elizabeth is a little bit ill at the moment as she slowly recovers from a stomach bug that affected her so much that she had to be admitted to hospital for just over 24 hours. This week for the first time in ages, she cancelled all her engagements as she recovers, prompting some concern in the British press. The Queen is now 86 years of age and still carries out a gruelling schedule of engagements each year, last year celebrating her diamond jubilee was very busy for her, so maybe it is no surprise that she is taking her time to get better, especially as the weather is very cold right now.

Adam Yauch – A victim of cancer at just 47 years of age

If you are around my age in your middle to late 30-40’s then surely you were at some point in your life influenced by the sheer verve and visceral energy of the Beastie Boys. This was the music of the street and of downtown New York, loud proud and in your face. Adam Yauch known in the group as MCA was one of those lads, the other two Mike Diamond & John Berry (from 1982 Adam Horowitz) who sold 40 million albums, were the first hip hop group to smash through to wow mainstream audiences, whilst continuing to upset nearly everyone around them. Rebels they were, and yet hits such as “Intergalactic” & “Fight for your Right” are still as popular today as they were years ago. Adam today succumbed to cancer at the tender age of just 47.

Judi Dench – Working on bravely as she fears the loss of her sight.

Dame Judi Dench is one of the foremost actresses of her generation. Today in the news there were reports that she is suffering from age-related macular degeneration or AMD, a condition that eventually could lead to blindness. Apparently she is struggling to read scripts and even to recognise faces, but she plans to soldier on acting despite the difficulties of her illness. The actress known for winning an academy award for her role in Shakespeare in Love in 1998 as well as starring as “M” in the James Bond films, is due to continuing to shoot the latest one in the series “Skyfall”.

Prince Philip – Duke of Edinburgh heart scare signals time to slow down.

 

Prince Philip was this evening flown to Papworth Hospital in Cambridgeshire where he underwent a medical procedure to avert a heart attack after he suffered chest pains during the traditional Christmas Royal family gathering at Sandringham. The 90 year old Duke according to reports had a artery blockage cleared and should make a recovery in the next few days. Looking at the Astrology of the situation, it is easy to see how this came about, however the wider picture shows that the Duke’s role and life in general will change very soon.

Steve Jobs – The life of a true visionary. Apple’s inspirational chairman and former CEO dies at just 56.

This is a repost of the one I did back in February this year. Steve was one of the first people I looked at on my blog and from seeing his chart, I always thought that he would struggle to get through to 2012. Very unfortunately, my fears for him at the time have proved to be right, and cancer finally got the better of him. He passed away just as Saturn was starting to square his natal Venus opposition to Jupiter and Uranus. At the same time, transiting Uranus was square his nodal axis and transiting Pluto was approaching his North Node. Pluto signifies transformation, and in death I suspect that Steve will in time be put up there on a pedestal with some of the scientific and creative greats of the last 100 years. He is already being compared to Edison and Einstein, which is high, high praise indeed. Steve’s genius and vision of technological beauty will without doubt be sorely missed.

Hugo Chavez – Venezuelan President stepping out of the limelight to fight cancer

One of the giants of the Central and South American political scene, Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías is only making fleeting appearances now as he fights to a serious bout of colon cancer, although the Venezuelan authorities argue that he is making a full recovery. I look at a fascinating man and assess the health story looking at his current chart aspects.

Hugo Chavez was born into a relatively poor family on 28th July 1945 in Sabaneta, Venezuela at 04.00am. He entered the army, and disagreeing with the political system of the day was part of a coup to unseat the government. That attempt in 1992 failed and he was jailed, but after he was released he formed a new political party. In 1998 he swept to victory in national elections, and has been incumbent as President ever since.

Chavez has a proud, arrogant Leo Sun as well as a protective, security conscious Cancerian Moon and Ascendant. You can see the mix here all too well, the Leo Sun will exert all his energies to get to the top, as far as Hugo will see his rightful place to be, and then the Cancerian Moon and Ascendant will go to all costs to protect his position - Hugo will build in barriers around himself,  change laws, promote those around him who support him and erect levels of national security to make sure his position is safe. The Sun in the 2nd house reinforces this need for security, as well as an aptitude for finance, economics & trade. Hugo will place great emphasis on his own possessions and a comfortable lifestyle, indeed he may see the Presidency as his own possession too.

Alongside the Sun there is a stellium of planets in the 1st house. Here we find Jupiter, the Moon, Mercury and Uranus, all in Cancer. Make no bones about it, Hugo Chavez is one very smart guy. The Mercury in the first house within conjunction to his ascendant sees to this, however not only is Chavez intelligent, more pertinently he feels. Almost instinctively he will know the right course of action at the right time. The Moon in Cancer will sense the moment, emotionally he will be able to pick up the mood of the people, with Jupiter in Cancer he will be able to empathise with them. Mind you he will end up doing his own thing, the Moon in the first house is a very self-sufficient “gonna do things my way” position. He will then tell them all about  his plans, endlessly. Mercury in the first house does seem to like the sound of it’s own voice. It is a bit of a con-trick he pulls, sucking the people in to follow his revolutionary (Uranus) socialist ways. I say socialist, because the Moon, Jupiter and Mercury sextile onto social Venus. Jupiter and Mercury create the idea of a big scale ideal and Venus adds the social angle to it. Venus in the 3rd house likes harmony, beauty, a local environment in peace without disorder or inequality. We find Venus in Virgo which promotes devotion and service. You can see the socialist ideas running right through this set of sextiles.

Before I move on to the other planets, I want to focus on the Moon which is in very close conjunction to the South Node. This connection to the Nodal axis or paternal axis as I see it shows a very close connection to the person who mothered him and brought him up. Normally this would be the parental mother, however because of the size of the family (he had 6 brothers and sisters), he was brought up by his grandmother. The grandmother of a man can always be seen in the first house, and this is where this Moon and South Node were tenanted. She would have been an inspiration to him and someone he would return to again and again when he needed any advice. Incidentally if you were wondering, the grandmother of a woman can be found in the 7th house.

Uranus squares to Neptune in Libra in the 4th house which suggests that Hugo would always have been  a revolutionary with a social dream (Libra in this case providing the social element). Neptune conjuncts Saturn, the dreams is serious, ambitious and has the need to build a society and to administer it. The two conjunctions Uranus/Sun and Neptune/Saturn square each other and you can see the tense flow of energy between them. Squares always drive you onwards and upwards; as you overcome the obstacles along the way and make progress until you reach your goal. Once you are there however, you relax your guard and then of course the problems mount and it becomes harder and harder to stay at the top. Square aspects forever will challenge in new ways as the transiting and progressing planets circle around the chart and connecting and disconnecting to the natal aspect, sometimes favourably but sometimes not. Returning to Saturn/Neptune in the 4th house, we know the Chavez household would have been a strict one and also one with a conservative religious air, something that Hugo still believes in being stoutly Roman Catholic with Pisces (ruled by spiritual Neptune) on the cusp of his 9th house of faith.

There is one more aspect formation on this chart that I have not explored. Neptune sits at the point of a mini grand trine based around a powerful Pluto in Leo in the 2nd trine to retrograde Mars in Sagittarius the 6th house. Mars trine Pluto is an enormous store of pent up energy, based around control of money and possessions (remember I stated that Chavez will see the presidency as his possession) and his physical health and everyday work. Chavez joined the army, he would have seen it as an adventure (Sagittarius) and a way to exert all that energy. However soon as he rose up the ranks, he would have seen the opportunity to use the army to further his insatiable need to have control over money & possessions and also to fulfil his social dreams (Neptune). Mars through Aries rules his Midheaven, his work and public position and Pluto through Scorpio rules the speculative 5th house. Chavez was willing to gamble (5th) that his underground movement (Pluto) would eventually get him to the position he desired – leading Venezuela in a new socialist direction. Mars being retrograde in the 6th has one other effect. It will put a lot of stress on one’s health. Because the energy of Mars is working internally (this is the effect of retrograde planets) rather than outwardly, this will have the effect of loading huge stress on his psyche and in the 6th on his health. It sort has the same effect as those with lots of water in their charts, the effect to to internalize any problems, however with the water signs the effect is more emotional than physical.

Chavez has both, with 5 planets in water signs, so will appear amazing calm on the surface, however beneath the surface he will feel physically and emotionally tied in knots. Mars retrograde is more a planner and plotter rather than someone who takes direct action, waiting for the correct time to act; when it actually feels right to him. One with this placement will want to go it alone too, shunning the help of others unless it is absolutely necessary. With connections to debilitating Neptune and transforming Pluto, this Mars and Chavez’s health was very vulnerable. In medical astrology, the colon, focus of Hugo’s cancer battle, is ruled by Scorpio (Pluto) and to a lesser extent by Mars. The health problems he faces now were predicted in the natal mini grand trine at his birth.

Now looking at the present and future, immediately one can see that Hugo is facing huge pressure from transiting planets. Transiting Pluto is exactly opposite his ascendant at 6 Cancer. Pluto has been around this degree zone for a fair while and will not clear through until late next year. Pluto will force Chavez to change his life direction and is affecting the way the public see him through the opposition to the ascendant and square to his Midheaven. At his Midheaven we find transiting Uranus, often associated with a change of career status. Indeed the Solar eclipse on the 1st July with a cardinal cross at it’s formation impacted all 4 angles of Chavez’s chart. This will be a time when Chavez’s life takes on a new direction. By Solar Arc, SA Saturn has in the last 3 years has been conjunct to natal Mars, it is now 2 and a half degrees from being exact and separating away from conjunction. The damage however has already been done and Saturn would have weakened his energy (Mars) around that time (2008 to the present), his body not being able to fight any physical problems in a normal way.

I believe it should be time for him to focus on his battle with cancer and to step away from the Presidency. Of course, he won’t want to being so Cancerian and protective, however if I were his astrologer, I would be advising him to move aside. This is a battle in which he will need all his will and his energies in order to make some type of recovery.  

Links

5th March 2013 - Hugo Chavez president of Venezuela passes away

Seve Ballesteros – Passionate, inspirational and fun, Europe’s greatest golfer dies at 54

I always enjoyed watching Severiano Ballesteros playing golf. Learning to play on the beaches near his home, Seve burst onto the golfing scene and his daring shot making and sheer love of the game was infectious. He was true “box office” being universally popular and successful, winning the British Open 3 times and the Masters twice. In the past three years he battled a brain tumour, unfortunately he lost that battle last weekend, he was just 54.

Seve was born on 9th April 1957 in Padron, Spain at 12.35 hrs. His fiery Aries Sun sat in the 10th house in close conjunction to Venus. His Moon we find in  proud Leo in the first house and his ascendant in emotional Cancer. The Sun/Venus and Moon are part of a talented Kite formation, the other feature of note is a stressed Neptune/Mercury/Uranus fixed t-square.

Forming the axis of the kite is a Mars and Saturn opposition, Mars in Gemini in the 11th house and Saturn in the 5th House in Sagittarius. Mars in Gemini is someone who was always on the go, restless and forever living on nervous energy. He would love to pit his wits against someone else in competition, yet here was somebody who thrived in team play too, especially when he would be leading the team. Saturn opposite sits in the house of games and competition. He would be driven to be someone special in his chosen field taking his responsibilities seriously, driven by feeling the weight of responsibility of his ambitions on his shoulders. Mars opposite Saturn is often representative of the the one who takes on everything and everyone on his own. This Saturn would be the dominant part of this talented kite and would give him the determination to reach the top of the golfing world.

Saturn trines out to the Moon and Sun Venus making a grand fire trine. With the Moon in the first house in a very self sufficient position and the Aries Sun in the 10th giving huge incentive to move forward, to be the best (Aries) in his profession (10th house) and the serious aspect of Saturn in his sports endeavours (5th house), here was a powerful source of incentive he could always tap into and rely on. What made Seve unique in his day, was not only the pioneering spirit of this grand fire trine but also his invention and devil may care attitude on the course. Alongside the Moon in the first house in conjunction was Uranus in Leo. Uranus in the first is the rebel, the one who wants to be different and compared to all who went before him in the golfing world in the 70’s and 80’s, Seve was certainly that – a breath of fresh air. Uranus conjunct the Moon craves excitement and loves to take risks. Uranus is at the point of a mutable t-square with Neptune opposite Mercury completing the formation. Neptune opposing Mercury is very imaginative and and in mutable signs adaptable. Seve used his imagination and adapted his game to any situation, being able to conjure shots out of the most impossible situations. One always remembers him getting out of a car park on the way to one of his British Open victories – genius at work and Seve was blessed with daring, a showman’s attitude and fiery passion.

Seve would have seen golf as a way of making the finances that he craved; Pluto in the 2nd house of personal finances almost demanded that he was constantly adding to his wealth, as Scorpio is on the cusp of the 5th house we know that money making desire would come through competition and sport (5th house). After his playing career, he continued to construct golf courses with Saturn in the 5th as the builder, as well as administer his own golf tournaments, among them the Seve challenge in Spain. It was very ironic that the Spanish Open was being contested as he passed away this weekend. Jupiter in the 3rd in Virgo gave him an analytical mind and a modesty that belied the passion that he showed in competition. He was always someone who thought of others ahead of himself.

Seve had 6 planets in fire signs and was the embodiment of a fire individual. Flames need fuel to keep burning brightly and as his career suffered with constant back complaints, so Seve’s flame dimmed as there was not the fuel of competition to keep him at the top. In the last years of his life Seve battled against a brain tumour. Brain tumours are of special interest to myself, as my mother passed away with one too. Mercury represents the brain in Astrology and Seve’s Mercury is part of that mutable t-square opposite to Mercury and square to Uranus. You can see the brain function both inspired and disrupted by both these outer planets. The outer planets I find are both blessed and destructive, being outer planets they are beyond our control and when they are activated by transits or progressions then they can bring on events in our lives that shape our very existence; they represent double edged swords of good and tough experiences. My mother had a natal Uranus square Mercury too, and looking at cases of people who have suffered brain tumours I have noticed that commonly you find that Mercury is being affected by square or trine to disruptive Uranus or destructive Pluto and/or Uranus is sitting in the 3rd house of communication and the mind.

On the day that Seve was first diagnosed with his tumour (6th Oct 08 in Madrid after he collapsed at the airport), transiting Saturn was square the Mars/Saturn opposition, illuminating the whole natal kite and weakening the whole persona. Transiting Pluto was trine it’s natal position signifying a transformational happening. By Solar Arc, the Mars/Saturn opposition had moved round to conjunct and oppose Seve’s natal Uranus, thus activating that mutable t-square and the critical Mercury/Uranus square affecting his mind. At the same time, the Venus and Sun conjunction in Aries was being opposed by Solar Arc Pluto and his natal ascendant was sextile to Solar Arc Uranus. Aquarius sits on the 8th house cusp of change, these events would change Seve’s life forever. This would be a difficult and transformational time for Seve. Three years on and on the day that he passed away, transiting Uranus had moved around to conjunct his Midheaven and trine his natal Uranus activating the mutable t-square again and transiting Pluto was almost exactly trine his natal Mercury affecting him on a transformational level for one last time. That day there were also a lot of pleasant transits on Seve’s chart, transiting Venus/Mercury conjunct Venus Sun and transiting Neptune trine Neptune and opposite Pluto which suggests that he lost control of his life however at the same time it relieved all the pain and suffering that he had endured.

Catherine Zeta Jones – Seeking help following a tough year

One has to have some sympathy for the year that Catherine and her husband Michael Douglas have had to endure. Michael has ben battling throat cancer and now she has checked into a clinic to have bipolar disorder treated. As ever in astrology, it is possible to see the consequences of the stresses and strains of life as the planets circle the natal horoscope. Today I take a glimpse at Catherine’s chart, and I will explain astrologically why the planets are currently ganging up against her.

Catherine Zeta Jones was born on 25th September 1969 in Swansea, Wales at 14.40 hrs. She is a Sun Sign Libra with a gentle impressionable Moon in Pisces and a happy go lucky Sagittarius Ascendant. There are several main features on this chart, namely a grand trine, a multiple t-square and a stellium of 5 planets in the 9th house. With this stellium combined with the Sagittarius ascendant (which is associated with Jupiter and the 9th), there was always an indication that there would be a great emphasis in her life of an international nature, she would make her mark on the world. The chance of fame and fortune for her was increased as the Moon sits conjunct the Aries point, within 2 degrees of 0 degrees Aries). Whenever an important planet is conjunct 0 degrees of a cardinal sign (Aries,Cancer,Libra or Capricorn) it always a sign that somewhere along life’s path, there is the potential that one could well be in the spotlight, or there would be the chance for fame or notoriety.

The Sun is a very full 9th house, conjunct to Uranus, in wide conjunction to Pluto, Mercury and Jupiter. With it sitting in the middle of the powerful Uranus Pluto conjunction that shaped the 60’s generation, Catherine is a very intense (Pluto), independent (Uranus) lady who had a great desire to be someone special (Sun/Pluto). Mercury and Jupiter in the 9th house indicates a great thirst for knowledge, interested in the big picture rather than on details. You also might expect with Mercury conjunct Uranus that Catherine would have a clever, insightful mind. All this normally would point to her doing well at school however with Uranus in the 9th house it tends to indicate that the child’s education would be interrupted. Catherine’s school progress was always affected by her burgeoning acting career and  she left school before taking her final exams to pursue her dream of working in theatre and film, so she had to go to a private institution to catch up on her studies.

I have looked at several actors and actresses in previous articles and almost always, Neptune which rules the film and TV world is very much highlighted. With Catherine there is no exception and there are a couple of avenues where her energies are directed to creative arts. The 9th house conjunction is “anchored” in opposition and in Jupiter’s case by quindecile to the Moon in the communicative 3rd house in creative Pisces ruled by Neptune. The Moon here shows need in a chart, and the overriding need for Catherine with the Moon affecting all of the planets on the chart except Saturn was to be creative and to communicate these emotions and creative urges. The Moon in Pisces is tender hearted and fragile yet the emotions that Catherine would experience would be intense and over the top (Moon/Jupiter), transformational (Moon/Pluto), personal (Moon/Sun) and unpredictable (Moon/Uranus). It is also musical and unsurprisingly Catherine sang as a child onstage with the Church amateur theatre group, and did tap dancing and ballet.

The Moon, the store of all this emotion forms a t-square with Mars at the point, widely conjunct the ascendant and a wedge pattern trine with Neptune which makes a sextile back to Pluto. Looking at Mars first, Catherine will be a pro-active type of person and a lady always in a hurry, with the connection between the warrior planet and the ascendant. In Capricorn, Catherine knows that personal success is hard won, and she will work diligently to achieve all her goals. She will have a serious attitude to keeping herself in shape and Mars would push her to make the most of her creative talents and would intensify her desire to make an impact internationally. I can imagine with squares from Mars to the Moon, Mercury, Uranus, Sun and Pluto that Catherine could be a difficult person to be associated with. Don’t be fooled by that jovial, Sagittarius ascendant, Catherine would be difficult and irritable with a nasty unpredictable temper if the mood took her, and quite difficult to live with in general.

Mars is part of a grand trine formation with Venus in careful Virgo in the hidden 8th house and Saturn in the 4th house of home. Grand trines are insular in nature, there show show a store of self-sufficiency against the troubles faced in life, something you can turn inwards to when things are going wrong elsewhere. Mars trine to Venus is romantic and harmonious and with Venus in careful Virgo in the 8th house we can say that Catherine would be careful and selective with whom she would have a relationship with, but once she made up her mind, that relationship would be deep and meaningful. Catherine takes her permanent relationships very seriously.

Saturn part of the grand trine is retrograde. This is always an indicator that the love from the father was missing in some way; either her father was away for some time, or he was overly harsh and strict. Saturn sitting in the 4th house does suggest that Catherine’s home-life was probably strict and rather conservative in nature. The Moon/Uranus/Pluto/Sun/Jupiter) opposition also say that the parents may have been at cross purposes (Sun opposite Moon), she probably had an controlling (Pluto) unpredictable (Uranus) unpleasant mother although it would have been a well to do house (Moon quindecile Jupiter). I can imagine that the love required by a child from the parents was in very short supply to the young Catherine. There are two exits from the self contained grand trine through the hardworking Mars and through a square from Venus to dreamy Neptune. In essence when things were not quite right with either her relationships or at home, she would throw herself into things that she did love by furthering (Mars) her dreams of creativity  (Neptune) in an attempt  to try to escape from the pain.

The Moon/Pluto/Neptune wedge shows an insatiable drive to be creative however with the Pluto/Mars in the Virgo/Pisces health axis of the chart and Neptune ruling Pisces, the potential for emotional (Moon) breakdown (Pluto) has always existed in her chart. Any challenging transit to this axis would trigger these stored up emotional problems, transits that in the last year have hit home.

Catherine’s natal chart of late has been battered by some pretty nasty aspects. As I explained earlier, whenever the Moon/Pluto axis was activated by a big transit then her emotional health would suffer. Sure enough Uranus has been conjunct to her Moon and opposite her Sun and the rest of the 9th house stellium for the past year or so. Cancer which the Moon rules is intercepted in her 7th house of permanent partners and this indicates the the shock news (Uranus) of Michael her husband’s illness has hit her hard. Not only has this been affecting her but Jupiter which heightens her emotions so much through the natal quindecile has had depressing transiting Saturn in conjunction for the past few months. Jupiter through Sagittarius rules the chart as it is on the cusp of the ascendant, so her whole persona has been affected. Transiting Neptune is opposing Catherine’s natal Venus, putting a cloud over her relationships, bringing worry and confusion. The combined effect of these heavyweight aspects have dragged emotional Catherine into severe depression. One good thing for Catherine is that pro-active sensible Mars. Rather than dragging her down any further, Catherine has gone out to seek help to get her though the problems. She has had a distressing year and I hope both her and her husband who is continuing to recover from his cancer scare have a better time of things as the Saturn and Uranus conjunctions move away in the coming months.

Bryan Ferry – Roxy Music frontman suddenly taken ill

Bryan Ferry, lead singer of Roxy Music and 70’s pop icon who had success with such hits as Love is the drug and Avalon, has suddenly been taken ill and admitted to hospital with a mystery illness which meant he had to pull out of a Tuesday night performance in London. This could jeopardize a forthcoming 3 month European tour that he was about to undertake this summer.

Bryan was born in the North East of England in Washington, County Durham on 26th Sept 1945 at 11.30am. He has a sociable Libran Sun with a restless Gemini Moon and deep intense Scorpio Ascendant. Taking a quick view of his chart, the first thing I notice is a lucky Sun Jupiter Neptune Mercury conjunction in the 10th house of career square Mars and trine the Moon. Jupiter trine Moon also makes a mini grand trine with Pluto at the point. The stellium in the 10th house speaks of successful (Jupiter) creative (Neptune) communication (Mercury) to the public (in Libra), in this case musical. Seeing that Bryan is still pushing himself to do sell out tours at age 65 is testament to that square between Mars and Neptune, Jupiter and Sun which gives him the energy to keep on performing for his fans. He literally will love what he is doing, Mars Jupiter is an aspect where one never feels satisfied, always wanting to improve and do your best and Mars Neptune shows pure charisma. . Sun Neptune Mars is very artistic and not only has turned his had to music but also art and fashion. Bryan is a smart guy, with Uranus in Gemini and Aquarius intercepted in the 3rd house, he has a very inquisitive mind and he would have excelled at school, which he did studying art (Venus in 9th house of education). 

Known for his slick style and black suits, this is very much a signature of his ascendant sign, as is the name of his hit “Jealous Guy”, which is very Scorpio indeed. The Moon in the 7th house in changeable, unemotional Gemini squares to Venus in the 9th house and there is a sextile to Pluto also in the ninth. Through this one would know that Bryan’s emotional life would be very complicated and that he would have a fascination to foreign women. Bryan had many relationships in his life, he went out with Jerry Hall before she left him for Mick Jagger, he married having 4 children then divorced, went out with a women 35 years his junior etc. etc. I think one of the reasons that Bryan has had turmoil in his relationships is that Saturn in Cancer fears emotional closeness and reliance on others, so he tends to keep his distance. With Saturn tenanted in the 8th house, Bryan also would be careful to keep his finances separate from other people and would be fearful of change and the unknown and things he could not control.

Now looking at the transits chart and the reasons for Bryan’s sudden illness, we can see that his chart, especially the 4 planet stellium in the 10th house is under severe stress. The conjunction is receiving oppositions from Uranus and Mars  (a shock to the system) and a square to transiting Pluto; Pluto square Sun always means a change in your life is necessary. Pluto also trines his Midheaven and opposes his natal Mars. The mystery illness is shown by the ruler of the 6th house (Taurus) represented by Venus being opposed by Neptune (clouding the issue). Neptune is now in Pisces and Venus is in Virgo which is always a health axis on a chart. I suspect the shock nature of Uranus Mars opposing the Sun could be a heart condition of some type, the Sun has always traditionally ruled the heart. Certainly the planets will be telling Bryan to slow down a bit.

Serena Williams –Tennis legend but her health a concern

Serena Williams, the 13 time Grand Slam tennis champion, is currently recovering in hospital after having some emergency surgery on a blood clot that formed in her lungs. The 29 year old tennis champion was born in Saginaw, Michigan in the United States. Along with her sister Venus, she has dominated the women’s tennis scene for a decade, at least when she has been fit. Serena has her Sun in social Libra in the 6th house of health and her chart is notable for having no less than 6 planets in the house. Health and well-being is and will play a huge part in her life. With all her planet in the Western hemisphere of the chart, Serena is a very giving person and will tend to think of others ahead of herself. With humanitarian Aquarius ruling her 11th house, charity work will be dear to her heart.

As with Sachin Tendulkar who I wrote about earlier today, Serena is an athlete and Mars, the planet of action and energy is placed in the 5th house of sport and games. Mars is in showy Leo and Serena more than any other women’s tennis player is interested in showing fashion on the court, even jewellery and manicured nails – all very brash and Leo like. Mars is trine Jupiter which is hugely self-confident, she has total belief in her own ability and she genuinely enjoys a challenge. It is also square Venus in Scorpio the 7th house, Serena needs to be in a relationship and an intense one at that. She will be extremely amorous and will thoroughly throw herself into her relationships, with the accent more on her rather, than on her partner. Uranus also sits in the 7th house which suggest she will be attracted to unusual or talented people. Serena will be critical and possessive, Moon in Virgo with a Taurus ascendant sees to this, I would hazard a guess that she maybe hard to live with. Initially there will be a shyness about her when she encounters someone new, giving her the air of being somewhat evasive. She is a dreamer (Moon opposite Neptune) and will avoid confrontations especially in relationships, and may allow problems to fester rather than sorting them out directly.

Now we move to the crowded 6th house. Here we have the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn & Pluto.  A huge accent on health & everyday work. The Moon here is a workaholic Moon, Serena will have a warrior’s attitude to practise, and refining her skills (remember Moon is in Virgo). The Sun and Mercury here does the same job, at her everyday work (tennis) she will be a perfectionist, working and working on her technical skills. Saturn and Pluto will give her a serious attitude to the work she needs to do to get where she wants to be, Pluto will push her in this respect until she drops. However, this is a chore that Serna will positively enjoy with Jupiter here. She does the work behind the scenes to propel her to the top. All this sounds so positive for a sportswoman, however there is downside to this crowded house. The 6th house is the house of health. Moon here in Virgo will make her worry about her well-being, and although with all the planets here her attitude to physical health will be excellent, Saturn and Pluto will undermine her body. Right now transiting Saturn which normally undermines the health, is  passing through the 6th house. It is not surprising that she has not played competitive tennis since the Summer. The lungs are ruled by Mercury and natal Mercury is being weakened by a trine to Neptune, a square from Venus and a rather nasty 150 degree quincunx from Uranus. Saturn towards the end of 2011 will conjunct Pluto. I suspect the health problems will carry on into next year unfortunately.

Let’s hope we do see her back soon, as the sight of Serena in full flow is one of the most thrilling sights in women’s sport.

Steve Jobs – Face of Apple and ailing genius

Today, 24th February is the birthday of Steve Jobs, one of the electronic and creative pioneers of our age. Having worked with Atari, Lucas film, Pixar, Disney & Apple, Steve is blessed with creative ideas and a no-nonsense business sense, but in recent years has been cursed with ill health.
Steve is a Sun sign Pisces in the first house square his Midheaven (denoting his profession), all that creative energy is up-front, out there for all to see, from the Apple Mac, to the I-pad, from designing computer chips to overseeing Toy Story. All that creativity is technology based, with an Aquarius ascendant represented in Uranus which is conjunct Jupiter in the 6th house of everyday work. There is a Thor’s Hammer configuration (see also my post on Enid Blyton) from the Sun/Midheaven square which concentrated to a point at Jupiter. All those creative ideas MUST come out, pushing forward the use of technology in a BIG way for everyday use. Also feeding into that Uranus/Jupiter conjunction is a T-Square configuration, Mars in the financial money orientated 2nd  opposes Neptune in imaginative 8th house (also concerned with big business), square this 6th house combination. There is business like energy and creative dreams driven into this technological fulcrum. All this energy is perfected into beautiful form, with an opposition to Venus in work based Capricorn (there is business stamped all over this chart) in the 12th house. Venus in the 12th always craves for an ideal form – notice how the I-pod and I-phone were not only way ahead technologically, but also fantastic to look at.

Steve’s intellect is huge, Mercury conjunct the Ascendant always shows great intelligence and it is put to good use in a administrative sense and internationally square Saturn in the 9th house. That Saturn in turn trines back to the Uranus/Jupiter conjunction, his energy is focused on the business of creative technology and squares Pluto in the 7th – here is a powerful, controlling man and a fierce enemy if you were to cross him. Going back to Mercury, interestingly it is conjunct the Ascendant from the 12th house, so the ideas stay behind the scenes until the last minute. Saturn is in secretive Scorpio echoing this, and Apple has always been run in a very controlled manner, it likes to guard it’s creative ideas and patents with zeal. Steve does have a softer side to his personality, with Moon in the first house in dreamy Pisces – he will be sentimental and compassionate.

From Summer 2004, Steve was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Whenever I have looked at charts where people have had health problems maybe earlier than they should,  quite often the 6th house is emphasised and regularly you can see a 6th to 12th house opposition. You can see a lot of pressure on that Uranus/Jupiter conjunction, almost an arrowhead pointing to it. Uranus and Jupiter are both retrograde, so the energy does not work as it should & Uranus always causes disruption wherever it is found. Jupiter (through it’s association with Sagittarius) traditionally rules the Pancreas. In July/Aug/Sept 2004, transiting Saturn hit that Jupiter/Uranus conjunction weakening that part of the chart. Since then,  Steve’s health has been a concern. It is very difficult to pinpoint health problems on charts due to the slow nature of some conditions to manifest themselves. However, every hit by an outer planet to a personal planet (Sun/Moon are in the first house  & are weaker than normal being in Pisces and thus  reduces the strength of the physical body) or that Jupiter/Uranus conjunction will affect his constitution. In 2009 Steve had a liver transplant. Mercury rules the liver, is retrograde conjunct the ascendant (affecting the physical body) and is square Saturn; there was inherent weakness in this area too from birth. Late in 2011, Saturn squares Jupiter and Uranus again. That is bound to be a difficult time for him. I wish him well…