Karen Carpenter remembered – the unloved child

Tragic singer Karen Carpenter died from anorexia 33 years ago today. She had a wonderfully lyrical voice which was really the success factor in the Carpenters, the duo with her brother Richard. They were one of the biggest selling musical acts in the 1970s and early 80s with middle-of-the-road melodies.

Her biographer said her problem was she felt unloved by her mother, whose favourite was Richard, and her self-esteem was low.

Born 2 March 1950 11.45am New Haven, Connecticut, she had a 10^th house musical Pisces Sun conjunct MC, so her identity would be very wrapped up in her mother’s ambitions. Her Sun was also opposition Saturn in Virgo in the 10^th, making for a chilly childhood. She also interestingly had Uranus on her Cancer Ascendant, so arguably her body/image was her one way of stamping her individuality. She also had a Moon Pluto in Leo opposition Jupiter Mercury in Aquarius – so a possessive mother, from whom she found it difficult to separate.

Her mother, Agnes, born 5 March 1915, was a Sun Jupiter in Pisces which fell in Karen’s 10^th, so she no doubt revelled in her success at some level. But her tough, bleak Saturn in Gemini conjunct Pluto in Cancer sat on Karen’s Ascendant so the effect would be to crush K’s efforts to free herself. The mother’s Saturn Pluto is also trine Mars in Aquarius which is a pretty unpleasant combination.

Agnes’s relationship chart with Richard was affectionate, even joyous with a composite Sun Mercury Venus Mars Jupiter conjunction. Whereas Agnes’s relationship chart with Karen had a composite Sun square Mars and Sun opposition Neptune – so argumentative and undermining; with a cold Saturn opposition Venus.  It’s always damaging when one child is favoured by – or has better chemistry with – a parent.