Toni Morrison, the first African American to win the Nobel Prize for literature has died aged 88. President Obama described her as “a national treasure” who was “as good a storyteller, as captivating, in person as she was on the page”. The BBC obituary says: “Known for her searing and lyrical works about slavery and the history of African Americans, novelist Toni Morrison was widely regarded as one of the leading lights of US literature and a champion for repressed minorities.”
She was born 18 February 1931 11am Lorain, Ohio into a poor working-class family and went on to take two degrees at college, taught in a university and moved into the publishing business as a fiction editor. She went on to write 11 novels which have become classics; and one – Beloved- was made into a film with Oprah Winfrey.
She had a 10th house final-degree Aquarius Sun and Mercury in Aquarius also in the 10th – so communication was always going to be her metier. Her Sun was inconjunct a last degree Mars in Cancer, so she’d be motivated by a fair amount of anger. She also had a restless, brimming-with-initiative Cardinal Grand Cross of innovative, torchbearer Uranus opposition North Node square Jupiter Pluto in Cancer opposition Saturn Venus in Capricorn. She had a tough life with emotional challenges but a great deal of confidence as well. Her Sun was also opposition a creative Neptune which in turn opposed a Pisces Moon. That 1931 generation produced a fair few notable successes in different arenas.
Her writers’ 21st Harmonic was enormously strong; as was her creative 7H. Her breakthrough/genius 13H was marked, as was her leaving-a-legacy 17th and her get-it-together and creative 5H.
I am a black woman with Sun conjunct Mars, my friend is Sun conjunct Mars and my sister is Sun opposite Mars. We all have at least had anger issues. My work is often to get people to manage their anger, and my sister has written a little book about anger. Of course Toni was angry. She also has Pluto in the third of communication opposite Saturn in the 9th.
Her Sun was inconjunct a last degree Mars in Cancer, so she’d be motivated by a fair amount of anger. Why is it that whenever and wherever a black woman is described, it must include the words “anger” and/or “aggression”? Could you not have said that she was motivated by a dislike of injustice, or some such phrase? Just asking for a friend.
I think you/your friend are being a touch over sensitive. It may be understandable. But there’s no way that Sun inconjunct Mars does not have anger issues, whatever the individual’s ethnicity or experience.
A remarkable woman.
There is a beginning and there will be an end. It is what we do in the middle that counts.
Thanks Marjorie. I didn’t know much about her but a few years ago the BBC featured her in an edition of ‘Imagine’ with Alan Yentob. I was immediately entranced by her charisma and her voice.
Great writing aside, journalist and Twitter Influencer Yashar Ali tweeted her interview with Oprah where she spoke about the importance of how we show ourselves to children. She talked about how we should be careful with our expressions with children, because especially when they are ours, we tend to worry about their wellbeing, and so, when they walk into a room, we see and we react to dirty clothes rather than with the joy we should. And unfortunately, kids interpret that as our refusal of them. So, to show and teach them acceptance, show the joy you feel seeing them. I thought that’s amazingly insightful, immediately became curious about her Moon. I think 11th house Pisces Moon really makes sense here too. Be not only caring, but friendly, to children.
I was so lucky to meet Toni Morrison in 1995 when she came to Middlesex Uni . A Student invited her and she just got on a plane! Beloved is my favourite book. So much so l named my daughter Amy . It is a hard read but magical writing RIP special lady .