Mass evangelist Billy Graham who ran crusades, advised Presidents and attracted huge audiences at his religious rallies, has died aged 99. He preached a simple message which met with a wide response; was pro-integration though had oddly backward views on women’s role being primarily as homemaker.
Born 7 November 1918 3.30pm Charlotte, North Carolina, he had an exceptionally strong chart. His intense 8th house Sun Venus in Scorpio was square Neptune in the performing 5th, and trine a 4th house Jupiter and Pluto in Cancer. His Jupiter especially epitomised the American dream of a happy home and family life; and his Neptune was better suited to a public stage than to a mystical retreat. His 8th house Mercury in Scorpio was on the point of a T square to Uranus opposition Saturn, giving him persuasive power to speak to the masses. His spiritual 9th house had Moon Mars, conjunct his midheaven, in crusading Saturn in a self-disciplined and hard-edged trine to Saturn.
There was never much controversy surrounding his life but I wouldn’t imagine he was the easiest of personalities. Saturn opposition Uranus can be autocratic; and Moon Mars trine Saturn doesn’t suggest an entirely sympatico emotional and domestic life. Perhaps that was where he came up with his rule, handed onto Mike Pence, about never being alone with a woman other than his wife.
His get-it-together 5th Harmonic was strong; as was his leaving-a-legacy 17H; and his superstar 22H.
His son Franklin, 14 July 1952 NC, in charge of his ministry and business for the past two decades is cut from a different cloth, taking up to the old style, harsher fundamentalist evangelism, which his father disavowed. Where his father prayed with presidents of both parties and tried to remain out of the political fray, Franklin has aligned himself with archconservative Republicans and is squarely in President Donald Trump’s corner. His outlook insists that salvation is only for those who accept Jesus as their saviour; and is against Islam, gay marriage and the leaders of the Democratic Party. He says he does not care who he offends if he thinks he is right.
He’s a Sun Cancer conjunct Uranus on one side and Venus on the other; with his Sun Uranus sextile Jupiter in money-magnet Taurus and in a can-be-fanatical square to Neptune. His Uranus is also in an autocratic square to Saturn. His Jupiter opposes Mars in vengeful Scorpio. Jupiter Mars in hard aspect can often signify a ‘holy warrior’ – someone who justifies their angry attacks by using their beliefs as window-dressing. And his Jupiter is also in a pushily confident square to Pluto Mercury in Leo. A heavyweight personality with a fair amount of clout. How he got on with his father is a mystery but there was never any public sign of discord.
From Teen Vogue on Billy Graham’s death: Graham suggested that LGBTQ relationships are a “sinister form of perversion,” famously declaring in 1973: “Let me say this loud and clear! We traffic in homosexuality at the peril of our spiritual welfare.” Throughout his preaching career, he remained strictly opposed to same-sex marriage and actively campaigned for an amendment that banned same-sex marriage in North Carolina in 2012. At the time, Graham wrote that “At 93, I never thought we would have to debate the definition of marriage.”
I’ve often though Uranus is a signifier of the LGBTQ community, and Graham’s Uranus aspects would support his obstinate stance.
With regards to Franklin Graham, I’d say that apple didn’t fall far from the tree, although he has taken it to a greater extreme.
They sound like an absolute fright. I don’t trust anybody with religious views to this extreme. When I hear folks spouting hate speech dressed up as religious beliefs I always automatically wonder what they are doing to others behind closed doors. Empty vessels make the loudest noise and do so to distract. I think I read in a Susan Forward book some years back, it might have been Toxic Parents, in which she stated a high percentage of sex abuse victims actually come from extreme, right-wing religious backgrounds. I’m all for spirituality but religious indoctrination and institutions seriously need to die on their backsides. They are severely ugly and archaic and so are the people who promote them!
Excellent observation about his personal and domestic life; he travelled widely, leaving his wife Ruth Bell Graham to raise their five children. His late wife, Ruth Bell Graham, was noted for saying “I’ve never considered divorce. Murder, yes, but not divorce.”
I think it would be an interesting study to compare/contrast Franklin Graham’s chart with that of his father Billy. FG is very antagonistic toward non-Christians, such as Muslims and LGBTQ people.