J.K.Rowling

J.K. Rowling, creator of Harry Potter, has been suggested as a chart for me to have a look at, so here goes! Joanne, or J.K. as she is known, is a very Virgoan Leo. She has her Sun in Leo, but with no less than 5 planets in Virgo, she's likely to be someone who pays a lot of attention to detail, and she could be her own worst critic as she'll have high standards in everything she undertakes. I suspect that that this perfectionist streak will have stood her in very good stead as she's developed the Harry Potter books.

Rowling was born on 31st July 1965, near Bristol. No time of birth is available so her chart is set for noon. Without the time of birth it's hard to say in which direction the aspect structure is moving.

Her chart shaping shows a mixture of Fixed and Mutable motivation - an ability to adapt to changes sits alongside a liking for stability. The need for Fixity and for - at times - a less fluid lifestyle may relate directly to needing the time to think and create what she will eventually write. Colour ratio of the aspects is 3 red: 4 green: 4 blue. This gives her a very green/blue chart, suggesting that she has a considerable amount of intuitive sensitivity, that she thinks and maybe connects with ideas which come from within, and that she needs time to be able to do this. She has a comparative deficit of red, "doing" energy which might be challenging when she has deadlines to meet, or when she simply runs out of steam. Again, being able to pause, rest, sit back and think will be a necessary part of the way she goes about her writing - and her daily life.

There are 2 aspect patterns in her chart: a Small Learning triangle and a Megaphone. The Learning triangle (Jupiter, Mars, Moon) will feed what is learned into the Megaphone (Moon, Mars, Neptune, Saturn). The Megaphone is a mainly blue/green figure with only one red aspect. This will be the one that does the work and manifests what has been thought about, imagined and visualised in the blue/green part of this aspect pattern. With no time of birth available, we can't know whereabouts the Megaphone lies in the chart - is it above or below the horizon? On one side of the chart or the other? Knowing this would offer far more information.

The overall meaning of the Megaphone is that it's a very sensitive instrument which can pick up ideas and information from the surrounding environment. With so much blue and green it's going to have strong artistic abilities, and it will rely on the planet at the "sharp" end (in Rowling's case this is Saturn) to direct all the ideas that have been dreamed up out into the world. What better planet could she have there than Saturn to help her ground and manifest what is generated in the blue/green part of this figure!

The other planets in the Megaphone are Moon (emotional needs, feelings, inner child), Neptune (ideals and things mystical) and Mars (active energy, most likely to be thinking/ideas in this configuration). Mercury, one of her Virgo planets, is unaspected and could be a useful tool in bringing in new ideas; Moon is conjunct both Uranus and Pluto, perhaps in the context of Rowlings chart adding the essential Harry Potter ingredients of magic and the struggle of good over evil.

Finally, a look at Rowling's LifeClock. Although we can't be specific as her time of birth is unknown, the general principles of Age Progession can still be applied and noted. In 1995, when she was 30 and her Age Point entered the 6th House, she completed her first book "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone". This was published in 1997 when she was 32, and her Age Point reached the Balance Point of the 6th. This House and these ages include the psychological life phase of establishing one's place in the market or workplace. She certainly did that!

Rowling has announced that her 7th and final book in the Harry Potter series will be released on 21st July 2007, and there is speculation on which characters will die; she's already hinted that two will, but won't be drawn on whether one of them is Harry. This book will be released just before her 42nd birthday, when her Age Point will enter the 8th House of the chart, heralding a period of change and a new orientation in life. In view of this, it seems likely that Harry could meet his end.

Addendum: November 2011. I've just returned from a trip to Edinburgh where J.K. Rowling lived and worked on the early Harry Potter books. She wrote much of these in a cafe called The Elephant House as she was unable to heat her flat and used the warm cafe instead. It's a popular place with a spacious back room whose windows overlook Edinburgh Castle. There are photos of her displayed in the cafe as they are rightly proud of their connection to her and Harry Potter. However, the ladies loo is also of interest, as many visitors have left messages of appreciation for JK on the walls, making a visit to the loo to read them all part of the experience!