Liberace

The newly-released film Behind the Candelabra tells the story of the pianist Liberace's life and his relationship with his boyfriend, who had to pose as his chauffeur. Liberace didn't want the world to know he was gay - but with a public image like his, was it ever likely to be otherwise? Liberace is played by Michael Douglas,whose appearance has been made to look uncannily like the glitzy star's. 

Liberace, born on16 May 1919 at 23.15, West Allis, Wisconsin

 

Liberace

Liberace's chart has a strong fixed quality in appearance, as it's dominated by a large 5-sided figure, indicating that his inner and unconscious motivation is to be and feel secure and to seek stability. This need he played out through his extravagant and OTT lifestyle, wearing clothes plastered with sparkling gemstones, and living in opulent surroundings. He also had a Taurus Sun, and Taureans are well-known for their love of the good life, if they are fortunate enough to have the money to fund it. The son of a Polish mother and an Italian father, he started playing the piano aged 4.

Michael Douglas as Liberace

 The dominant 5-sided figure in the chart is made up of a Model  aspect pattern and a Search figure. Green and blue aspects dominant the chart, indicating an imaginative, sensitive disposition as well as giving him escapist tendencies - perhaps that's where the opulent lifestyle, home decor and gem-laden, fur trimmed outfits come in. The Model suggests a person with high aspirations, and someone who will not be sidetracked by pessimism. People with this aspect pattern can offer courage and hope to others, via their persistence in pursuit of their goals. Liberace, a jazz pianist as well as a classically trained one, brought a lot of pleasure into the lives of his audiences. He was hugely popular from the 1950s to the 1980s. He starred in films and TV shows and was a regular performer in Las Vegas.

The Model is pinned by Mercury, Uranus and the Venus/Pluto conjunction. The adjoining Search figure shares the Venus/Pluto conjunction, with Neptune in Leo at the blue/green corner. All these planets share the Moon's North Node as a focal point. More of that later. 

First let's take a look at Venus/Pluto slap bang on the DC. Here they are strongly placed and can't be missed as these are the planetary drives and energies that will be picked up first and foremost by others. For me, Venus here = charm, allure, attraction and a love of beauty; Pluto = power play and allure of a different kind, maybe sexual. These two planets are also placed at the blue/green corner of the Search figure, where the outlet and expression of whatever it is that is being sought is channelled out into the environment.

Let's turn now to Liberace's North Node in the 11th house. The 5th and 11th houses are on the axis of the chart concerned with relationships. If the North Node (shown in the chart) is in 11th house, this usually indicates an important way forward for the individual. In Liberace's chart it suggests that for personal and spiritual growth, he should become far more selective in the friends and associates he keeps company with. The South Node (not shown in a Huber chart using the Huber Method as it relates to the past, and to being comfortably stuck in that place) suggests stagnation and a reluctance to move away from those kinds of relationships with which the individual is familiar. Sad to say, this may have been a contributory factor to Liberace's eventual death as he died from AIDS-related illnesses. His Taurean Sun/Mars conjunction in the 5th house may have proved to be too strong a pull and lure in the arena of relationships and the pursuit of hedonism.

Read more about the Model and the Search figure in my book Aspect Patterns in Colour.

Celebrating 30 years of Astrological Psychology in the UK

APA, founded 8th June 1983, 12.30pm, London

The UK based Astrological Psychology Association (APA) is 30 years old today. Founded on 8th June 1983, in London, it is an established part of the global astrological scene, with students and graduates in many countries of the world.

Richard Llewellyn

Joyce with Pam Tyler, early 1990's

APA was founded by British astrologer Richard Llewellyn and American astrologer Pam Tyler. Pam had been to a seminar given by Bruno and Louise Huber in their native Switzerland, and persuaded Richard to attend a later seminar. Both were so impressed with the Huber's astrological psychology and its connection with the psychosynthesis of Roberto Assagioli, with whom the Hubers trained, they decided to found an astrology school in the UK which would teach in English and be open to a worldwide audience. Richard wrote the teaching manuals and was Principal for many years, later retiring, which was when I became Principal and am now Principal Emeritus. APA has evolved through the years, and at age 30, it's Age Point is entering the 6th house. Let's take a look at the chart.

The 6th house cusp is in the sign of Aquarius. Combine these two facts and already it's clear that 6th house matters, such as work, service, status and standing will be a focus for APA for the forthcoming 6 years, as the Age Point travels through this house. Psychologically, the 6th house in the chart is about making your mark in the workplace, and standing up for what you have established. Career-wise in an individual's chart, it's a time when the person will want to assert themselves in the workplace and secure their niche. For APA, this has already happened; what it will be interesting to see is how this established place in the world of astrology develops over the next few years.

The Age Point is the sign of Aquarius, echoing the nature of the foundation of APA - an organisation which teaches astrology worldwide. Combine the 6th house attitude to work and service with astrological Aquarian energy and you  have almost the perfect match. The Age Point is making a trine aspect to the chart's Sun/Mars in Gemini in the 10th house at the top if the chart. This suggests a beneficial and buoyant period. The Hubers, in their book LifeClock describe the trine aspect as one where "we can sit down and rest for a while, in the knowledge of having provided reserves for future needs. A new confidence emerges..." But they warn against becoming too complacent - trines can be very lazy - but they can also lead to continually hunting for perfection.

Now that could be something worth working towards for APA, as the Age Point transits the 6th house and this trine aspect lights up both Sun and Mars at the top of the chart.

Many Happy Returns 
on your 
30th Birthday
APA! 

Sun in Gemini

It's that Gemini time of year - the Sun entered this sign on 21st May, coinciding with some dramatic events - the tornado which struck Oklahoma with devastating effect, and shortly after this, the gruesome murderous slaughter of an off-duty soldier outside his barracks in London.

Communicate and understand

With the Sun in the sign associated with communication, and heading for its highest point in the northern hemisphere on 21st June - the Summer Solstice - perhaps we should be focussing on the way we comunicate with each other, across nations and races/cultures/religions. The aim, with Gemini-style fast and diverse communication, is to connect, communicate and understand things from other viewpoints, often different from our own.

Understand viewpoints different from our own

The esoteric seed thought for Gemini points the way: "I recognise my other Self and in that waning of that Self I grow and glow". You may interpret that in whichever way has greatest meaning for you; for me the message is pretty clear - put your own self & cherished viewpoints aside for a while and listen to the other side's.

On a personal level, Sun in Gemini has certain traits which are shared, but not necessarily expressed, by those born at this time of year. Here are a few of my takes on this:

That Uranus/Pluto square again

Uranus/Pluto square exact on 20th May 2013. Chart set for noon, London.

Here we go again. Big shots Uranus and Pluto are squaring up again for the next round of their current cosmic dance. You can see what I wrote about them in October 2012, but this time they have a busier chart full of aspects as their background, and they're linking up with Mercury and Venus to form an aspect pattern called a Learning triangle.

Both planets are on 11 degrees of the signs they're in, and in the Huber Method of Astrological Psychology, this is the strongest place for a planet to be, by sign. So we have Uranus potentially firing on all cylinders in Aries, and Pluto doing likewise in Capricorn. The other planets in the Large Learning triangle which has formed are Venus and Mercury, both currently in Gemini. So what might be going on? Learning triangles are made up of all 3 aspect colours used in the Huber method - red, green and blue. This brings the capacity for all-round awareness and in the charts of people, and the capacity to learn a specific subject and learn it well.

As we're not looking at the chart of a person here, I can only speculate on current events, both nationally and globally, that might have some echoes in the current configuration which the two big heavies are currently a part of. What we're learning more about here in the UK are the activities of well-established male broadcasters at the BBC, and actors working with the commercial channel ITV, who are being accused of rape and sexual misconduct with under-age girls and sometimes boys. This took place in the 1970s and 80s, apparently in some instances on BBC premises. 

Pluto in Capricorn: a lot of nasty stuff, aligned with power play and sexual misconduct which took place in one of the most prestigious institutions.

Uranus in Aries: uncovering these shocking and distasteful events. The accused are now mainly older men, some in their 80s, who were stalwart and well-liked figures at the time these events took place.

Venus/Mercury in Gemini: this news is rapidly hitting the headlines in the UK, with tabloid front pages milking it for all it's worth. The sad thing is that if these accusations prove to be true (one long-established broadcaster has admitted his guilt) the lives of mainly young children, now adults, have been despoiled. There's nothing attractive in that.

On a global scale, North Korea is flexing its muscles and being threatening, the conflict in Syria goes on. Israel have made 2 attacks on them and the US, UK and France are beginning to make noises about intervention. There's a way to go yet with this square, but remember this - Uranus, at its highest level, is concerned with creating the perfect world, and Pluto, at its highest level, is concerned with becoming the perfect being, cleansing and shedding unwanted irrelevant baggage along the way.

As an antidote to some of the negativity out in the world, here are some thoughts to ponder:

Real peace is neither

A matter of emotion

Nor a matter of duration

In time.

It is first and foremost

A matter of relationships

From individual to individual

Which contagiously spreads

From group to group,

The idea to share

While being of benefit to each one

Becomes the only means

Of safeguard and survival,

Of future and freedom for all.

Pere Andre Marie 

Another Happy 100th Birthday

This must be a record. Two one hundredth birthdays in two months to celebrate, and the charts of two centenarians to talk about on this blog, both of them for people I know. The first was of Sylvia, who reached 100 on 6th March. Today's 100th birthday is of Nellie, a family member and a bright and happy person who it's always a pleasure to see.

Nellie (her full name is Ellena) was born in 29th April 1913, in Lincoln. She doesn't know what time she was born, but says it was during the night. On the strength of that, I've set her chart for midnight, as the Sun would have been below the horizon.

 

Nellie's Taurean Sun is conjunct Venus at the apex of the triangular Ear/Eye figure in her chart. This aspect pattern sits like a small but perceptive radar dish, picking up information from the environment in a fairly random way, and storing it for future use. Nellie is communicative and has a good memory. She's sharp, and misses nothing. She likes to read a lot, and to do crosswords and other puzzles, so her Ear/Eye will provide her with a lot of information which she can draw upon in these leisure pursuits. 

Like Sylvia, who was 100 in March, Nellie's chart also has all three transpersonal planets in the same signs, but a quick comparison of their charts shows that the aspect configurations are different, as the planets have moved and new aspect patterns have formed.

Sylvia's chart 6.3.1913 set for noon

Nellie's chart  29.4.1913 set for midnight

                                                 
Sylvia's chart shows an overall fixed motivation with a dominant 4-sided aspect figure - a complete Detective aspect pattern. In Nellie's chart this aspect pattern is there, but is incomplete as the planets have moved on slightly, leaving the Ear/Eye as the only complete component part. Neptune, in Sylvia's chart, is unaspected; in Nellie's chart it's opposite Jupiter and trine Mars. Nellie's chart is more loosely held together by aspects, but all are included in the overall pattern. Sylvia has just one sister; Nellie comes from a large family of 10 children. How might this have impacted on Nellie's early life as a young child and teenager?

The overall shaping in her chart is mutable and flexible, showing an inner motivation which would have helped her adapt to changes as she grew up, such as taking on helping roles when she was old enough, and was no longer the baby of the family. In a family of boys and girls, she says she needed to survive and be as good as the boys, although she does admit to being a bit timid sometimes.

As an adult, Nellie moved house numerous times and with her Moon conjunct Uranus in Aquarius this isn't entirely surprising. Change was almost a constant thing, making the overall mutable, adaptable shaping of her chart very useful to have.

Nellie revelled in the variety of jobs she's done. In the 1930's she went off to London to work in service with various families, which she enjoyed a lot and was always treated with courtesy and included in the family she worked for. She's run a city-centre pub and loved doing this - hard work but fun because of the people she met. She and her husband also owned and ran an antique shop, living in the flat above the shop. I gather that almost all the items in their flat were also antiques and up for sale, so it wasn't unusual for one of her daughters to come home and find that the wardrobe and/or bed had been sold when they went into their room. The only thing not up for sale was the TV, bought in 1950 when it was rare for people to have something so new fangled!


Like Sylvia, Nellie will be receiving birthday wishes from the Queen, and no doubt the card will be proudly displayed for all to see along with all the other good wishes from family and friends when they visit, as I shall, to say

Happy Birthday Nellie!