Desmond Morris, zoologist behind bestselling studies of human behaviour from The Naked Ape and popular tv shows like Zootime, has died. He approached humans as just another species, sharing primate lineage, behaviour, rituals and family groupings with other apes and monkeys, calling man a ‘risen ape’ rather than a ‘fallen angel’, and declaring religion ‘a confidence trick’. He is said to have popularised the observation of body language, spawning battalions of armchair psychologists but many found some of his views far-fetched.
He wrote innumerable books, made documentaries and latterly became a painter.
He was born on January 24 1928 at Purton in Wiltshire, no birth time, with his father, badly injured in WW1, dying when he was 14. His childhood was strongly influenced by his grandfather, a naturalist and newspaper proprietor and his mother, who encouraged his growing menagerie of 200 toads, snakes, lizards, mice, birds, foxes and fish.
His Sun, Mercury and possibly Moon are in inquiring Aquarius and he has two yods. His Sun sextile an impulsive and adventurous Jupiter Uranus conjunction in Aries was inconjunct Neptune in late Leo – giving him his creative, painterly talents and tendency to live in his dreams. And his Mercury in a serious sextile to Saturn and South Node was inconjunct Pluto – making him influential with ideas before his time and therefore running into resistance, and at times being overly forceful even coercive.
His Sun was conjunct Ceres, the minor planet which rules motherly love, family bonds and relationships, as well as the growing of plants and food crops, natural resources and the environment. This aspect is thought to indicate a strong, protective “Earth Mama” energy and to give a magnetic public presence.
His lively Jupiter Uranus conjunction in Aries was conjunct the dwarf planet Eris, which provokes and shatters illusions and can be a potent force for evolution. It may also point to his delight in stirring up controversy and sometimes going too far.
His Chiron in Taurus hints at a woundedness in the earth realm which could have many outcomes but may have drawn him to become a naturalist; and is trine a publicity-attracting Mars trine Neptune – making for a high-vitality Fire/Earth Grand Trine.
David Attenborough, 8 May 1926, heading for a 100 soon is a more Fixed personality though with some similarities. His Sun Taurus squares Ceres Neptune opposition Jupiter. His Eris is conjunct his Venus in Aries (maybe Moon); and his Chiron is final degree Aries, almost into Taurus.