Ted Turner, the media mogul who changed the face of news broadcasting with 24-hour rolling news on his cable channel CNN has died. A flamboyant character he was variously described as “the Mouth from the South”; “a bulldog that won’t let go”; “a mixture of genius and jackass”; and “probably the most competitive guy you would ever meet.”
He was also a world class yachtsman, winning the 1977 America’s Cup and the 1979 Fastnet Race after storms wrecked many other competitors and caused the loss of 19 lives.
He also found the time and energy to be a serial philanderer, marrying Jane Fonda along the way of a complicated romantic life. But it was not obvious that wealth and celebrity had brought him happiness or peace of mind. One friend observed his life had been spent wrestling with “three bears… an insecurity that can be traced back to his abusive father; a manic, restless nature; and lust.”
After the dotcom bust wrecked his AOL-Time Warner merger, costing him $8 billion in 2000, he devoted his energies to (as he modestly put it) “saving the world”. He gave $1 billion to the UN and his Turner Foundation supported environmental initiatives, policies to curb population growth and he worked to reduce the peril from nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.
He was born 19 November 1938 8.50 am Cincinnati, Ohio, with a depressive, overbearing father, owner of a successful billboard advertising company who later committed suicide when Ted was in his mid twenties.
He had a 12th house creative and seductively charming Sun Venus in Scorpio square an expansive Jupiter and in an intense trine to an 8th house Pluto; with a friendly and humanitarian 11th house Libra Moon. A chatty outspoken Mercury on his Ascendant added onto an enthusiastic 3rd house Jupiter in Aquarius would make him a turbo-charged talker. What dominates his chart is a yod of an ambitious 10th house Mars sextile communicative Mercury Ascendant inconjunct Uranus in his 5th house of entertainment and sport, as well as romance. Such a apex Uranus would make him a trailblazer, though also wayward and defiant. Not surprisingly his Uranus opposed the North Node tying him into the spirit of the time as he pushed forward with new advances in communication. His Mars opposed a 4th house Saturn giving him a hard-driving edge, a legacy of his damaged father. His Sun/Moon midpoint, significator of close relationships, was opposition his inconstant Uranus.
When the 2000 dotcom crash led to his untypically understated retreat from global communication into philanthropy, tr Pluto was crossing his Ascendant bringing a slow transformation of his image. Tr Uranus was square his yod apex Uranus and tr Saturn was conjunct his Uranus as well and opposition his North Node – prompting him onto a new track.
Jane Fonda, 21 December 1937 9.14 am New York, is a Sun Venus in Sagittarius with a Leo Moon, which would suit his Sagittarius Ascendant if not his hidden Sun Venus in Scorpio. Their relationship chart had its light hearted, affectionate side but was never destined to settle into togetherness with an errant composite Uranus inconjunct Sun Venus and an irritable Moon square Mars.
The “epic-level stupid” lawsuit brought by Blake Lively against Justin Baldoni, as described by a Hollywood studio executive, has ended out of court without damages or even an apology. The co-stars reportedly spent $60 million combined to sue and countersue one another, according to Page Six after the filming of It Ends With Us.
She claimed in court filings she lost nearly $300 million in earnings and income after being the victim of an alleged ‘smear campaign branding her as a ‘mean girl’ and a ‘bully’; and was a necessary stand against asking for a safe working environment. Critics saw it as an act of hubris and legal overreach.’
The film was a commercial success, making $351m (£259m) from a budget of $25m. Though she was criticised for what appeared to be a flippant attitude to its promotion, given its domestic abuse storyline. Studio sources have suggested that Lively has gained a reputation as a “backseat director”. One film executive told the Daily Mail: “This lawsuit has ruined her in Hollywood… She had a reputation for being difficult, one of those toxic people who always thinks she knows best.”
Blake Lively, born 25 August 1987 5.07 am Tarzana, California, into an entertainment business family, has a high vitality, upfront Mars, Sun, Venus and Mercury in Virgo all conjunct in her 1st house – she’s full on. Her Moon is also in Virgo in a chilly square to Saturn. In addition to a pernickety overdose of Virgo what stands out is her Pluto in Scorpio sitting on her IC in the middle of a trine between Neptune in her performing 5th house trine her Virgo stellium. She will be controlling and tending to be overly defensive about anything that feels like interference. Doubling up on that, her Pluto is also opposition Jupiter in latest degree Aries, giving her an overdose of confidence and a sense that rules don’t apply to her.
Which makes it all the odder that her husband Ryan Reynolds, 23 October 1976 4.30am Vancouver, Canada is a New Moon in Scorpio conjunct Uranus Mars also in Scorpio. And Justin Baldoni, 24 January 1984 8.30pm Los Angeles, has Pluto, Moon Mars and Saturn all in Scorpio with his Aquarius Sun square.
Studio sources say she will not be working again in a hurry after this litigation car-crash and it is likely to negatively affect her husband Ryan’s career as well.
She has tr Uranus moving to make a jolting square to her Mars, Sun and Venus picking up within days and sticking around all year, after which in 2027 and on Uranus rattles up her Mercury and Moon; with heavy pressure from tr Pluto square her Pluto in 2027/28 bringing challenges on the home front and maybe just maybe trying to let self-awareness in through her overly protective shield.
Her husband also looks under considerable stress through this year right through till the turn of the decade with tr Pluto square his Moon, Uranus and Mars in Scorpio. The whole debacle and its aftermath will put a good deal of strain on their marriage.
Not that Justin Baldoni will be jumping for joy since his Aquarius Sun and Scorpio Moon are both catching tr Pluto had aspects until late 2027 which may grind him to a semi-halt by which time tr Pluto will be in a frustrating and trapped square to his Mars until early 2029.
The Met Gala where haute couture meets high society used to be the unmissable event of the New York social calendar. No more, as scantily and bizarrely dressed trash celebrities and z-listers turned it into a giant flop with new sponsors and co-chairs Jeff Bezos and wife Lauren Sanchez getting most of the heat.
The icy Anna Wintour, Vogue editor until 2025 and a leading light heretofore for the Gala, spoke highly of Bezos and wife, but with her Solar Arc Saturn square her Mars for a major setback at the moment she may be regretting her decision. Bezos’ ambitious Sun Mars in Capricorn is conjunct her Jupiter which would boost her hopes and finances. But his Uranus Pluto sitting on her Mars Saturn might have been a warning.
Wintour, 3 November 1949, is a Sun Scorpio with an innovative trine to Uranus – and Mars Saturn in workaholic, critical Virgo.
Bezos, 12 January 1964 in NM, US, has tr Saturn moving to conjunct his Jupiter in Aries in the final ten days of this month which will damp his confidence; with even greater sinking feelings in 2027 from his Solar Arc Neptune conjunct his Sun and SA Pluto conjunct his Neptune.
His wife, Lauren Sanchez, 19 December 1969 NM, US, an upfront and exuberant Sun and Venus in Sagittarius has Jupiter in money-magnet Scorpio in an up-and-down opposition to Saturn; and an earthy Taurus Moon. She has her Solar Arc Jupiter conjunct her Sun at the moment for a confidence high but ahead will hit a major setback in late 2027/28 and disappointment by 2030.
Their relationship chart is focused on fashion-and-beauty (surface appearances) with an emphasised composite Venus Jupiter on the focal point of a trine between Saturn and Neptune; and trine Uranus Pluto.
Their wedding chart of 26 June 2025 in Venice, Italy, showed a complex mix of high confidence with a Sun Jupiter conjunction in Cancer though that squared Saturn Neptune in Aries – which might have suggested that charitable good deeds could have been a better way to go. What was more problematic were two yods onto Pluto and Mars respectively – which would certainly point to an influential, power-couple, though also a degree of ruthlessness and a tendency to attract hostility ahead.
The first Met Gala was held sometime in December 1948 when Jupiter was in early Capricorn so being undercut by tr Neptune Saturn in Aries at the moment.
Rudy Guiliani, former New York Mayor over 9/11, is in hospital recovering from pneumonia. Sad though it is for those close to him, his interest here is because he fits an astrological pattern which has been pervasive in personalities in the news recently. What he exemplifies is Mars Pluto in three of its ways of working.
He was born on May 28, 1944 2.31pm New York, with a Sun conjunct Uranus in Gemini and more notably a Mars Pluto conjunction in Leo which latter is under strain from tr Pluto in opposition now until 2028. His father was convicted of felony assault and robbery and served prison time in Sing Sing. Once released, he worked as an enforcer for his brother-in-law Leo D’Avanzo, who operated an organized crime-affiliated loan sharking and gambling ring in Brooklyn.
Mars Pluto = a criminal, violent father. Ruthlessness personified. So young Rudi grew up in a scary atmosphere which toughened him. When 9/11 came, he was in his moment of glory since Mars Pluto is custom-built to display courage in a crisis. Even before then, having switched from Democrat to Republican in the 1980s as US Attorney General he indicted organized crime families and had a Mafia hit put out on him. He was later accused of prosecuting cases to further his political ambitions. Mars Pluto = fearless and ruthless.
Latterly he has gone full Trump and lost his license to practice law because of his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Others in the Trump circle with strong Mars Pluto aspects are: Curtis Yrvin – Mars opposition Pluto. He spouts extreme views applauding authoritarianism and elitism; wants to replace American democracy with a techno-monarchy since he sees liberalism as creating a Matrix-like totalitarian system. He has defended the institution of slavery and has suggested that certain races may be more naturally inclined toward servitude than others; argues that whites have inherently higher IQs than black people and opposes U.S. civil rights programs. He is a notable figure in American conservatism, having influenced people like Steve Bannon, JD Vance, Michael Anton and Peter Thiel. Pluto is about power and control and needs to heap contempt on others especially those who are unlike them.
Leonard Leo – Pluto (Uranus) square Mars. Until recently a pro-Trumper who played a key role to shape the conservative Supreme Court (until they fell out over tariffs).
Steve Witkoff – Mars square Pluto. Envoy to the Middle East. Alex Karp and Peter Thiel: Mars square Pluto Uranus.
There is no doubt that Mars Pluto can ratchet up will-power to an extraordinary degree, giving energy and power. A willingness to face danger and take risks, the do-or-die determination can bring rewards. Though in negative mode it leads to a bullying, no scruples approach, with greed and egotism to the fore which can be destructive.
Other notables with the mid sixties Mars square Pluto Uranus conjunction are Gavin Newsom, tv loudmouth presenter Piers Morgan and artist Tracy Ermin. Tracy Ermin shows another face of Mars Pluto in her screams of agony and rage paintings. Princess Diana had a Mars conjunct Pluto which was highlighted by the prevailing eclipse when she was killed. She had power but always felt herself to be a tortured victim.
Women often get the flip side of the coin with the submit-or-die side of Mars Pluto. Audrey Hepburn being one example with horrific war time experiences; and even more so Edith Eiger who has just died, who was sent to Auschwitz in 1944, lost her entire family in the Holocaust and emerged barely alive. Empowering herself in middle age she became a specialist in trauma recovery and was still writing in her late 90s.
Maggie Thatcher who idolised her father was no one’s idea of a helpless victim and she used her Mars square Pluto to power ahead and become the first woman prime minister.
Amanda Knox and Louise Woodward both with Mars square Pluto (see recent post) attracted the hostility that Mars Pluto can engender.
Ronan Farrow with a Mars conjunct Pluto in Scorpio was fearless and determined in breaking the Harvey Weinstein story.
Reid Wiseman, commander of the recent Artemis space mission has Mars square Pluto = cool head in high risk (life or death) situation.
Unsurprisingly Mars Pluto occurs as violent, dangerous conflicts erupt – the killing J.F.K; Gulf War 1; the October 2023 Hamas Attack.
It is there when organisations are set up like the USA Supreme Court, the Iran Revolutionary Guard, and the Meta Rebrand. Disparate entities but all with the same underlying unshakeable determination – and the potential for using collective power for selfish ends.
In a personal relationship chart strong Mars Pluto aspects are a no-no, pointing to an imbalance of power and simmering anger if not outright violence.
What always intrigued me was the Mars Pluto theme running through Queen Elizabeth 11’s relationships with close family. Her dedication to the institution of the monarchy rather than her temperament gave her the ultimate power.
In less edifying circumstances Suzanne Blum, the French lawyer who oversaw the Duchess of Windsor’s final days had a coercive Mars Pluto relationship with her. She financially abused and isolated the Duchess who was suffering from dementia in the waning years of her life, keeping her away from those close, selling her heirlooms for her own profit and assuming power of attorney over her estate. Mars Pluto = absolute power and control.
Add On: Angelina Jolie still fighting a toxic battle with ex Brad Pitt over a jointly owned French vineyard has an Aries Moon Mars opposition Pluto – not one to let go in a hurry.
Russell Brand, born on the same day same year, has similar. He called his 2023 concert tour Messiah Complex and flipped from being a leftwing hero to an alt-Right anti-vaxxer ranting on about “the matrix”; and made a very public conversion recently to Christianity after being accused of sexual assault. Power is his obsession whether as an ambition or a deep fear.
Thespians Farrah Fawcett and Ryan O’Neal both had Mars Pluto oppositions and produced children with serious drug addiction problems.
Roman Polanski, imprisoned in the Warsaw ghetto as a war child, later a renowned film director, was rightly condemned after it emerged he had sex with a 13 year old girl. His wife, Sharon Tate, was savagely murdered by the Charles Manson gang. Polanski has a Moon Pluto in Cancer square Mars opposition Uranus – a life of tragic and brutal melodrama.
Eddie Murphy has been graced with a biopic covering his extraordinary career from unlikely beginnings to become a teenage comedian through to a blockbuster movie star. Acting, stand-up and singing are all in his repertoire.
He was born 3 April 1961 1.30pm (unverified) New York, with his parents splitting when he was three, his policeman father murdered when he was 8 and he spent a year in foster care when his single mother became ill which is where he said he learned to crack jokes
He has an Aries Sun and Venus (like Goya and Raphael) trine a rebellious and individualistic Uranus in Leo in his 1st. His Sun is in a high-vitality and argumentative square to Mars. His Pluto in Virgo conjunct North Node are trine his Midheaven giving him drive to succeed. What stands out as a motivating factor in his life is a 4th house Neptune Moon conjunction in Scorpio in a creative, self-protective Water Grand Trine to an 8th house Mercury in Pisces trine Mars in Cancer. His Neptune in the 4th house of childhood and father is square his Mars/Pluto midpoint describing his early experiences. His Pluto North Node opposition Sun/Saturn and square his Venus/Mars will also have given him a tough streak as well as an over-energised romantic life – with (I think) ten children from five different women.
Reviews describe the biopic as “reverential” but for all his missteps he has had a memorable career of nearly 50 years. To name but a few – Beverly Hills Cop, Coming to America, and Trading Places, The Nutty Professor, the Shrek franchise to Dreamgirls.
Sylvia Plath, the poet, has become embedded in the culture as a mythic figure of tragedy and talent, using her words as a confessional to speak directly to the reader.
A new mammoth edition of 542 of her poems has the editors waxing eloquent about her ability to “combine raw emotional depth with humour and an uncompromising, unapologetic sense of vulnerability and strength.” In contrast Philip Larkin said her themes were “neurosis, insanity, disease, death, horror, terror”. Her focus on annihilation obviously strikes a chord through the generations.
She did suffer a lifelong battle with severe depression, a bipolar-type illness, with multiple traumatic treatments with early electroconvulsive therapy. She attempted suicide at 20 and succeeded at 30 when her marriage to fellow poet Ted Hughes, whom she alleged to her therapist had been abusive, had disintegrated.
Born 27 October 1932 2.10pm Boston, Massachusetts, with an Austrian-immigrant, academic father who died when she was 8. She had a doubly-intense 8th house Scorpio Sun in a depressive square to Saturn in Capricorn in her 12th which would weigh her down with a sense of the absent father who was nonetheless critical and guilt-inducing in her imagination. Her Saturn was in an opposition to Pluto which can be inclined to melancholy as well; and that was square an innovative but disruptive Uranus.
A creative Water Grand Trine of Pluto trine Mercury in Scorpio in her much-travelled and published 9th house was trine her North Node in Pisces in her 1st. Her tendency to disappear into a bubble of her own reality would help her avoid facing up to need to build her sense of identity and her faith (North Node Pisces in 1st).
Her Mercury trine Pluto, square Mars in Leo and inconjunct Uranus would give her a sharp tongue and a highly strung nervous system.
An unaspected Libra Moon in her 7th would bring a constant sense of disconnection even as she craved the reassurance of a close relationship. Such an unintegrated Moon is thought to be the most personally traumatic of any planet. A solitary Moon lacks stability and would be exceedingly vulnerable.
Her marriage significator, her Sun/Moon midpoint was opposition her Uranus and square her Pluto, which would do nothing to bring her the security she craved. She both wanted closeness and pushed it away.
Her Chiron in Taurus close to Algol points to a constant sense of never being safe or secure; and in the 3rd house as if her mind was constantly at risk of disintegrating, with recurring self-defeating and destructive thought patterns.
It is a talented, creative but desolate chart.
Ted Hughes was born 17 August 1930, Mytholmroyd (with maybe ?? a 1.20am birth time). He was a Sun Leo with a Taurus Moon with a lively, adventurous Uranus square a confident Jupiter Pluto in Cancer. There is nothing too dramatic sparking off his chart as it stands apart from chilly Saturn in Capricorn in his 7th (birth time being accurate) hinting at troublesome relationships.
But down in the midpoints both his Saturn and his Venus in Libra are in hard aspect to his destructive, ruthless Mars/Pluto midpoint. Mars Pluto looms large in his relationship chart with Plath, with the composite MP squaring Uranus opposition Mercury, which does suggest a bond that could turn abusive and was certainly one of domination.
His next relationship was with Assia Wevill, 15 May 1927 who was a Taurus with a Scorpio Moon and she had a natal Mars Pluto in Cancer. She also committed suicide taking their four year old daughter with her.
He latterly had a long marriage to a nurse. Feminists blamed him for both the early tragedies but both Plath and Wevill would have been attracted to impossible relationships no matter what. Which does not let him off the hook but the responsibilities cut both ways.
Francisco Goya, the Spanish artist, started life painting religious scenes, court portraits and rural idylls before descending into darker subjects as his pessimism about human behaviour and a repressive political situation clouded his optimism.
His etchings, the Caprichos, depicted what he described as “the innumerable foibles and follies to be found in any civilized society, and from the common prejudices and deceitful practices which custom, ignorance, or self-interest have made usual”.
A serious illness that left him deaf in his forties sent him into even darker realms of fantasy nightmare. Yard with Lunatics is a vision of loneliness, fear and social alienation. The condemnation of brutality towards prisoners focused on the degradation of the human figure. From an earlier search for ideal beauty, he descended through a nervous breakdown into paintings that reflected his self-doubt, anxiety and fear.
He had several children, only one of who survived to adulthood, which many scholars believe influenced his later, melancholic themes. By the time of his wife’s death in 1812, he was preparing the etchings known as The Disasters of War, regarded as a visual protest against the violence of the period and the move against liberalism in the aftermath of the restoration of the Bourbon monarchy in 1814. The scenes are singularly disturbing, sometimes macabre in their depiction of battlefield horror, and represent an outraged conscience in the face of death and destruction. His scenes of atrocities, starvation, degradation and humiliation have been described as the “prodigious flowering of rage”.
Saturn eating his Children was one of the late Black Paintings from the last years of his life, with his embittered attitude toward the move away from liberalism and his own mental panic, terror, fear and hysteria expressed in shocking detail.
He was born 30 March 1748 in Spain (at 11.30am according to Andre Barbault though I am not so sure.)
He had an Aries Sun conjunct Venus and Mercury opposition Saturn square a sensitive Moon Neptune in Cancer. His Sun opposition Saturn formed a talented Half Grand Sextile to Jupiter in Sagittarius and Uranus in Aquarius. He also had a difficult yod of Pluto in Scorpio sextile South Node inconjunct Mars in Aries.
His emphasised Saturn in Libra square Neptune would be idealistic, hoping for improvements in social conditions and behaviour as well as progress politically away from hierarchical, repressive regimes. But he would also be drawn to the darker, ruthless energies represented by his Mars inconjunct Pluto and the lack of development towards fair and just times by his South Node in Virgo. His personal tragedies and illness, never mind the social/political situation would also undermine his faith (Pisces North Node).
When his illness descended tr Uranus was tugging at one leg of his yod, conjunct Pluto which would send his life onto a different track. His Solar Arc Neptune was moving to conjunct his South Node and his Solar Arc Saturn to conjunct his Jupiter.
His acute disappointment on various fronts sent him into the depths of his tortured unconscious.
Raphael, 27 March 1483 JC 9.30 pm, Urbino, Italy, one of the great masters of an earlier period, also had a Sun Venus in Aries which was in a lively trine to Uranus; and he also had a confident Jupiter Pluto conjunction in Libra trine Mars in Gemini. He had a more upbeat and outgoing chart than Goya, though he did die on his 37th birthday when is Solar Arc Neptune was square his Sun.
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My favourite cartoon character from The Secret Life of Dogs. Gangsta Snowball, the psychotic rabbit, who lives down the sewers and leads a band of renegades.
Meryl Streep is back in a sequel to the 2006 fashion magazine hit The Devil Wears Prada described by a reviewer as “sprightly and amiable”. With an all star cast including Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Justin Theroux, Kenneth Branagh and Stanley Tucci it looks a tempting distraction from woes elsewhere.
Meryl Streep, born June 22, 1949 8.05 am Summit, New Jersey, has had a prolific, award-winning and versatile career. From Kramer vs Kramer, The French Lieutenant’s Woman, Sophie’s Choice, Out of Africa, A Cry in the Dark through to the musical Mamma Mia! and The Iron Lady, she has moved seamlessly through a wide variety of roles. She is noted for her technical precision and command of dialects. Off screen she is an advocate for gender parity and labour protections.
In an interview she confessed she was ready to retire when she was offered the first Devil Wears Prada in 2006 but flippantly asked for double the money and they said yes.
She was married to an actor who subsequently died of cancer; and more recently to a sculptor with whom she has four children but now separated.
Her Cancer Sun sits in the 11th house of friends and social causes conjunct Uranus so she will have her own individual view on what changes she thinks are necessary. Her steady Taurus Moon North Node in Aries both in the 10th suit her for a public career and a life dedicated to working. Her Moon squares a 1st house Pluto so she will be invested in her family but her ambitions and creative talents will always have pulled her away from cosy domesticity.
Mars conjunct Mercury in Gemini in her 11th will make her outspoken and argumentative, particularly if she sees unfairness, given that her Saturn sits in square. What is striking is a yod which dominates her chart with her rebellious Sun Uranus sextile her meticulous, workaholic Saturn in Virgo inconjunct Jupiter in Aquarius and her Descendant. What a mix – wild and wayout, conventional and self-doubting as well as super confident.
Her caring Venus in Cancer hidden in her 12th is in a creative square to a 3rd house Neptune and sextile her Moon which softens the harder edges of her Mars square Saturn and controlling Moon square Pluto.
A complicated lady.
Her creative 5th and 7th harmonics are strongly aspected, as is her humanitarian 9H and thespian 15H.
Francisco Goya’s horrific paintings of Saturn (Kronos), the Greek god, eating his children get to the heart of his astrological meaning, highlighting his obsession with time and mortality. Scared of dying he knew his children represented a future he can never possess, since his was limited by his mortal span. He tries and fails to abolish the boundaries of his life.
Saturn is essentially about facing reality, which presents in many forms involving practicalities, structure in earthly terms, duties and responsibilities. At its starkest it involves acceptance of death.
It plans, prepares, thinks long term to a feasible goal, gets foundations laid, builds slowly and securely so its achievements stand the test of time. The end result of its endeavours is not necessarily aesthetic but it is enduring.
Saturn restricts, so oversees limits and boundaries which may not feel like fun but are essential, psychologically as well as practically, in life. It stands firm for order, delineation, marked borders. In action, it is like a gardener who prunes plants back, lopping off overgrown branches, to stimulate fresh growth.
In Roman mythology, he was a god of generation, dissolution, plenty, wealth, agriculture, periodic renewal and liberation. Saturn’s mythological reign was depicted as a Golden Age of plenty and peace. He showed his positive face at the autumn festivals of the harvest, when the bounty of the year was brought in and drunken celebrations ensued after the hard work was done. Earthly delights are his preserve and his reign was seen as one of peace and plenty.
Capricorn, ruled by Saturn, has this duality marked as the two-headed god who looks back to the past year and forward to the new. He both mourns and celebrates. The old Capricorn symbol was half goat half fish. He operates in two realms, arising out of the watery realm of ideas and creative visions to make solid achievements a reality.
Not that Saturn is a delight at close quarters in intimate relationships. It can be cold, putting up a defensive wall against any encroachment, tending to put things above feelings, and is better at ‘doing’ than ‘being’.
Having Saturnine parents means facing two things – their envy and their ability to induce misplaced guilt on their child. The Saturnine father pushes and pushes his children to be a success, being excessively critical of any failures, making them feel they never achieve enough to satisfy him, so damaging the child’s self-esteem though it can helpfully induce a driving need to be a success. But deep down the father’s fear is that they might outdo him, become more successful and outlive him. It’s difficult to cope with since if the child-grown-to-adult became successful, the father would shrivel, feel worthless himself and be consumed with envy. So it’s a no win situation, until the child/adult separates enough to understand it’s the father’s issue, not theirs.
The Saturnine mother on the other hand insinuates into the child a sense that they are responsible for her depression; and their role in life is to look after her and make her happy. She makes an under-nurturing mother but expects her offspring to give her the caring she never gave them.
Successful people tend to operate in a Saturnine way. Maggie Thatcher with Saturn on her Ascendant pursued a career which moved to the transits of Saturn – into the Cabinet when tr Saturn moved up across her Descendant into her third quadrant, became PM when tr Saturn moved across her midheaven. She ignored its hints in the latter years of her tenure as it moved into her lower-profile first quadrant, when she should have been winding down. Her ego got in the way and she was ejected when her Solar Arc Saturn was exactly square her Sun. Saturn can raise to great heights through excessively hard work, but it is a hard taskmaster when lessons are not learned.
Richard Nixon on the other hand was forced to resign facing impeachment charges when tr Saturn was moving through his 10th (supposedly the peak). That was when Saturn’s iron rule ‘you reap what you sow’ came into play, and Nixon’s chickens came home to roost. The god of the harvest knows that only careful preparation at the right time, clearing the ground, sowing seeds, tending to the growing crops, sticking to the rules, will provide the cornucopia. If you don’t put in the sweat and planning and try to bend the rules, it brings retribution.
On my own chart tr Saturn was conjunct my Sun when my mother died and years later when my stepmother died. An inbetween tr Saturn conjunct my Sun came when I left (by choice) a long-running job which was quite a wrench though the right move.
