Graham Greene, the celebrated writer and journalist regarded as one of the leading English novelists of the 20th century – Brighton Rock, The Heart of the Matter, The End of the Affair, The Quiet American, Our Man in Havana amongst others focussing on Catholic religious themes and the intrigues of international politics and espionage – has a new biography chronicling his chaotic and talented life.
Born 2 October 1904 10.20am Berkhamsted, England, he was a depressive child, bullied at school, suicidal on occasion and diagnosed later as bi-polar, which was a family affliction. He said he used the Russian roulette game as a metaphor prompting his “absurd and reckless” trips to war zones, where “the fear of ambush served me just as effectively as the revolver” and claimed the danger fought off terminal boredom.
The Times review remarks “His life was a ‘merry-go-round of travel, writing, drink, religion, adultery, self-loathing, intrigue and betrayal. Greene was a mass of contradictions: the devoutly Catholic promiscuous adulterer, the seedy confidant of popes and presidents, the danger-seeker racked with fear, the connoisseur of combat zones who disliked party politics.”
He had a Libra Sun square an 8th house Moon Neptune in Cancer and trine Saturn in Aquarius, which flags up one set of contradictions with the sensible Sun Saturn in conflict with his Neptunian otherworldly streak. He also had a disruptive, rebellious Uranus in Sagittarius opposition an 8th house Pluto squaring onto Mercury in Virgo in his 10th.
A Mutable T Square especially with Mercury as a focal point would make him extremely highly strung and he’d be constantly pulled between his need to be free and his realisation that at a fundamental level with Pluto in his 8th he was trapped by forces outwith his control. He found an outlet through Mercury in the 10th house and channelled this ambivalence into his writing career.
His mixed element Fire Earth Grand Trine of Mars in Virgo in the much-travelled and communicative/opinionated 9th trine an adventurous Uranus trine Jupiter in upfront Aries – would give him an overdose of high energy and constant restlessness.
His emotional planets – a sensual Venus in Scorpio was in his hidden 12th trine his even more deeply buried Moon Neptune in the 8th – so no surprises his romantic life was complicated. He remained married to his first Catholic wife, though appeared to have been unfaithful throughout including with prostitutes.
He died aged 91 after an extraordinary life.
His creative 5th and 7th harmonics are strong as is his writer’s 21st and superstar 22nd harmonics.
Russian Roulette: The Life and Times of Graham Greene by Richard Greene
Another Libra spy (and writer). This is an undervalued Libran trait.
Also, bipolar disorder is a bummer. I’m not sure if it shows on charts, but it’s strongly hereditary – I’ve been looking at Vasa dynasty in Sweden, and it’s likely their madness was BPD -, and can be enforced by environment.
I did a rough rundown years back when Catherine Zeta Jones was diagnosed with bi polar in 2013. Her chart follows the same general pattern of the other high profile sufferers – a significant Mutable element in the charts plus often, though not always, a heavily aspected Jupiter, as well as difficult dark planet aspects.
Greene’s Uranus opposition Pluto onto Mercury in Virgo fits that pattern.
Zeta Jones is a Libra Sun conjunct Uranus on one side and conjunct Pluto in Virgo on the other opposition a Pisces Moon square Mars in Capricorn. Sun Pluto Moon Mars is a very intense, loaded combination bringing acute frustration as well as utter determination. Her Mars is further hemmed in being trine Saturn trine Venus.
Stephen Fry is a Sun Mars Pluto in Virgo square Saturn. Patty Duke is a Sagittarius Sun Mars opposition Uranus; Sun trine Pluto (Saturn). Jeff Buckley was a Pluto Mars Uranus in Virgo opposition Saturn in Pisces, trine/sextile a Scorpio Sun, Venus, Mercury, Neptune. Charlie Sheen is a Sun Uranus Pluto in Virgo opposition Saturn in Pisces square a Sagittarius Moon opposition Jupiter in Gemini; with Sun Uranus Pluto sextile Mars Neptune.
Mutable planets tend to be highly strung, are inclined to be overly impressionable blown around by external events more so than most.
“Mutable planets tend to be highly strung, are inclined to be overly impressionable blown around by external events more so than most.”
That’s interesting. I once knew a MD who had a selfdiagnosed and selfmedicated BPD. He said it was probably related to neurotransitors. He probably was “in the spectrum” as well. He wasn’t terribly mutable, but he quite possibly had a Virgo Moon Rising – TOB was out of memory – square Gemini Jupiter and Jupiter Neptune. And yes, possibly 12th house Leo Stellium, so if you are counting house positions as well, possibly rather mutable.
Greene was a master of evoking the ambiguities of our emotions and motivations. His Neptune conj. Moon both square his Sun may point to this.