Spoon bender, watch-healer and charismatic showman Uri Geller, now living in his homeland Israel, has turned 75. He became famous demonstrating on television what he claimed to be psychokinesis, dowsing, and telepathy – describing hidden drawings and making watches stop or run faster, which he said he could do it through the strength of his mind. He became a bete noir for paranormal debunker James Randi who claimed to have revealed Geller’s feats as stage magic tricks, but was himself a fraud.
Controversy has dogged Geller throughout his career, at points sending him into eating disorders and withdrawal, but he claims to have acclamation from the CIA for his ‘remote viewing’ skills and to have been employed by mining companies to dowse sites for mineral deposits.
My own sense is that Geller does have psychic skills but these by their nature are fragile and erratic abilities not well-suited to stage or TV performances, so there has to be an element of trickery to maintain audience appeal.
Similar claims of deception have been made against healer Matthew Manning, who also claimed to have the ability to bend metal and affect electrical equipment. What is intriguing is one striking similarity in their charts.
Geller, 20 December 1946 2.30am Tel Aviv, is a Sagittarius with a Scorpio Moon. More significantly he has Saturn Pluto in Leo conjunct his Midheaven – in traditional astrology Saturn Pluto was the sign of the black magician, so deemed to have paranormal powers. He also has Uranus in the 8th house which is the chart area of transformation, connected with alchemy, magic and occult practices as well as money and sexuality. His 1st house Jupiter Moon Venus in Scorpio square his Pluto will make him ultra-charming and persuasive.
Matthew Manning, 17 August 1955 4pm Redruth, England, has a heavily weighted Pluto conjunct his Sun, Mars, Moon and Venus; and Uranus, like Geller, is in his 8th. Uranus, lord of the lightning flash, being the planet not only of insight, sudden change but is also associated with electricity, the internet.
Most individuals with psychic abilities, able to tap into deeper layers of reality have planets in the 8th. Since the regions they are able to contact lie beyond rational thought, they arouse great fear in the uber-logical – who cannot cope with the notion they are not in control and that life is a good deal more mysterious than their boxed-in scientific brains allow for, hence the violent attacks. Which isn’t to say a good many psychics aren’t frauds, or semi-frauds and that you can launch space rockets by the power of the mind. But life on the edge has yet to give up many of its secrets.
Helena Blavatsky, founder of Theosophy, also had Uranus in the 8th and was similarly controversial during her lifetime, ‘championed by supporters as an enlightened Sage and derided as a charlatan by critics.’ Theosophy is a religious movement and part of the occultist stream of Western esotericism, drawing on Neoplatonism as well as Hinduism and Buddhism and has had a wide influence on other esoteric movements and the New Age.
In addition to an 8th house Uranus she had an influential/controlling 10th house Pluto trine her Leo Sun. She was born 12 August 1831 2.17am Ukraine.
You make the statement that Theosophy is a religion, but it is in fact not, according to Blavatsky herself. Wikipedia calls it a religion in its entry on Theosophy, however Blavatsky wrote an editorial on that question ‘Is Theosophy a Religion?’, answering in the negative.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Is_Theosophy_a_Religion%3F
I was born half a day later than Matthew Manning (according to my birth certificate although there is some doubt about its accuracy) so, in principle, I too have that stellium concentration of energy in late Leo with Saturn in Scorpio (square Venus and Jupiter) and Uranus in my first squaring Neptune in the 4th (only Chiron in Aquarius the 8th so that area is not really well integrated). So, I can relate although my story is somewhat different. I always felt overwhelmed by the presence of others in my early years and my inabilty to prevent the spiritual from invading the mundane led to delusions and even suicidal thoughts at times, until I came into contact with a teacher whose patience and kindness enabled me to get both grounded and centred to be able to discern what was mine and what was not (and therefore no longer be overwhelmed by the ‘energies’ of everyone around me). I would not describe myself as psychic although I can sense things, but it is indeed not consistent and should not be shared unless you have been invited to do so. The problem of course for a Leo is that desire to be admired which can lead to attention-seeking behaviour and then the temptation to say what others want to hear, so you will be admired for your uniqueness. Leos hate to be ordinary and it’s hard for us to accept that we are actually just the same as everyone else. Not all that special after all. However, the gift of spiritual insight can be used to help others, but only with humility. Hence, if you are not centred and grounded and if you crave adulation you will be open to accusations of fraud. But clearly for Matthew, with all that energy on the Midheaven, he was always going to make a career out of it.
Very interesting, Marjorie. One thing about Geller is that he was involved with the Stanford Research Institute during the 1970s. The Cold War fostered all kinds of experimental, quite maverick approaches to undercover surveillance which befitted the paranoia of the era, with such set-ups as Project Stargate, a secret US remote viewing unit. The Soviets were at this stage thought to be way ahead in terms os psychic research for surveillance purposes. The CIA later formed the Stanford Research Institute in Menlo Park, California in response to train remote viewers and recruited Geller who played a key role in setting into motion the U.S. government’s investigation into ESP and psychokinesis.
In the Soviet Union meanwhile, the authorities were investigating the alleged psychokinesic abilities of Nina Kulagina, a Russian housewife with a Leo Sun plus Leo Mercury conjunct Neptune with Sun in square to Saturn in Scorpio (Geller has a Leo Saturn and Sun in Scorpio), and in trine to Uranus in the final degree of Pisces. (Leo features quite strongly in these charts, I note). Both individuals have been accused of trickery, but as George P. Hanson states in ‘The Trickster and the Paranormal’, there is something inherently unpredictable and trickster-like in the way psychic phenomena occur in any case. The case of Alma Fielding in 1930s London follows this pattern of a mixture of apparently genuine phenomena along with elements of trickery.
Interestingly, regarding Leo — Edgar Cayce had his final degree Pisces Sun in the 8th house, along with a Pisces Stellium of Mercury/Venus/Saturn/North Node, but also had a Leo Ascendant with Uranus Rising in Leo in the 12th. He was known as the ‘Sleeping Prophet’ and has Moon/Neptune at the top of his chart in the 9th.
*Geller has a Leo Saturn and Ascendant in Scorpio.
Ted Serios was another mentalist / projectionist using a Polaroid camera. I read a paperback published in the late 60’s or early 70’s containing out of focus images of Soviet spacecraft and various cities and rooms.
Website for review “https://americansuburbx.com/2017/07/ted-serios-thoughtography-as-timeless-enigma.html”
Some 30 yrs ago I met a woman who claimed she worked with the CIA back in the early 60’s. The CIA project was controlling the minds of Soviet sub commanders to “suggest” they sink their own boats. Certain psychics from the US population were identified and tested for their mental abilities. Apparently she did well enough to be selected for this project. Only very little more was shared during our telephone chat, including that the Soviets were much farther along than the US efforts.
Psychic ability is really only for the very brave amongst us. Who has the balance of mind and forgiveness to hear another person’s thoughts, and not feel hurt and upset?
Personally, I have used my psychic gifts in forensic accounting where people have been mis-sold financial products because the answers after decades aren’t obvious, or can only be deduced through mathematical formulas – no of course nobody destroyed the paperwork – how could I possibly think such a thing!