Joan Rivers: Sun Gemini-Moon Sagittarius

Today as I watch a re-broadcast of the celebration of Joan Rivers on TV this astrologer had to have a look at her natal horoscope which may be viewed here:  http://www.astro.com/cgi/chart.cgi?wgid=wgeJwljssKwjAQRb9GsDCFvFqrIRtdCBVcKCIuI41tqE2kSQ35exNczeVwuWeCHrUgvJ-ExNx04qK_anbQWmngBQ3UgLeUAiI7hGBgAXrZAYL9bO34jmZF0PqkTe9SONjF-FjA-ZHp7VrAhoaqBoYMbWABVkFJWJV2EJfd08hJiexJ7b810056JZqE2sWodLKdP338pCcnPwjpAx9cFCXmsxP4fvwBv1052A (apologies–the WordPress add-a-link tab isn’t working for me today.)

Born in Brooklyn, New York on June 8, 1933 (2:00 AM), Ms. Rivers had the communication and fast-thinking skills of a Sun Gemini opposing Moon in Jupiter-ruled Sagittarius, sign of actors and comedians. Not that Geminis can’t be funny, too!  Her just-past Full Moon birth indicates that relationships and hyper-awareness were very basic themes in her life.

As you see from the year 1933, Joan Rivers was born during the war torn Mars-Jupiter-Neptune conjunction in Virgo (sign of The Critic and she was that both onstage and on the Red Carpet, pioneering the “who are you wearing?” schtick.) These planets are the ‘Marseillaise Trio’ with its take-no-prisoners energies. For Joan the Trio appears in the 6th house of Dedicated Work and with her chart-ruler Mars (planet of impulse, energy, and action–Ascendant 3Ari53) Joan is famous for her decades of hard work in Comedy and her highly energized, even manic, performances.

Another factor indicating her high energy level and long career is a trine between natal Sun (ego, pride, physical constitution) and authoritative Saturn (work, concentration) showing longevity of life (June 8, 1933–September 4, 2014, age 81) and her decades-long career. Plus, natal Midheaven (Goal/Career/Public Status) is in Saturn-ruled Capricorn.

Her daughter Melissa (b. January 20, 1968 in NY) has said that her mother in private wasn’t funny with people she didn’t know–such as at dinner parties. She was “shy and nervous” and of course anyone who’s familiar with the Mercury-ruled sign of Gemini knows how very nervous they can be. In addition, Joan’s Mercury and Venus are conjoined @29Gem, a critical or crisis degree. Mercury-Venus gives writing talent and pleasant contacts with the public. Perhaps some of the hectic or manic energy Joan Rivers often displayed along with the ‘quick comeback’ ability of Gemini may be found within the critical 29th degree that is doubly emphasized in her natal horoscope.

After all, a 29th degree may be said to be impatient to reach the next sign which for Joan is Moon-ruled Cancer–in fact, 00Can00, a World Point of Prominence, Fame, and Success–and the Moon rules such realms as publicity and the public.

Now this is merely a brief astro-portrait of Joan Rivers and you may of course find much more information hidden in her natal chart so feel free to leave your insights with this post. Disagree if you must, add more info if it suits! 

To close, I add that to me, one of the best things to say about anyone who has passed away is, she will be missed. May the brilliant Joan Rivers R.I.P.

 

 

Harry Houdini: horoscope and a new TV show

Escape artist extraordinaire Harry Houdini is featured on History Channel at 9 pm edt  this evening in a two-part presentation as played by actor Adrien Brody with part two broadcast on Tuesday evening (September 2.)

Born in Budapest on April 5, 1874 at 4:00 am LMT (astrodatabank gives this data a B rating) as Ehrich Weiss, we find a man with Sun in mid-Aries (15Ari09, the degree where transit Uranus has been electrifying of late–TV technology via Uranus now will spotlight his ego and personality–Sun.) His natal Moon @19Sco24 (considered anciently as an ‘evil degree’–and where authoritarian Saturn has been traversing)  is the only ‘planet’ out-of-bounds in the chart suggesting a faulty relationship with Mother–odd since he was devoted to her. He even put wife Bess “on a pedestal” to the extent that some believe their 32-year marriage may never have been consumated! However, an OOBs Moon is only the case if we accept the April 6th 2:24 am chart as correct–the version you see below for April 5th has no OOBs planets at all which is one factor that suggests its correctness.

April 5, 1874 4:00 am LMT Budapest:

Now Uranus to natal Sun denotes a time of finding a new identity, going off on one’s own, new ways of expressing creativity (like a TV production?!), and/or intense restlessness. Saturn to natal Moon marks a period when any accomplishments must be truly merited and digestive complaints my occur. As you know, Houdini was punched hard in the abdomen as he rested his broken ankle by an amateur boxer and this led to his death in Detroit on October 31, 1926 at 1:26 pm–Halloween! Spiritualism and seances were popular during his life and most people are aware of his secret message to Bess from his death bed that he would try to ‘contact’ her after his demise.

(No, he never got through to her. This does not surprise me since ‘The dead are unconscious and know nothing’, says the Bible and this I believe!)

Now there is a discrepancy concerning Houdini’s birth data for Marc Edmund Jones gives Houdini’s details as: April 6, 1874 (Sagittarian Moon) at 2:24 am in Appleton, Wisconsin though my suspicion is that astrodatabank has it right–Appleton was the first place the family landed after immigrating to American from Hungry to avoid anti-semitism. In the MEJ version, Houdini’s Ascendant is in late Capricorn (27:00); in the version I’m using, 26AQ59 rises with Midheaven (Career; Public Status) 

Plus, the Aquarius Ascendant degree conjoins America’s natal Moon (the public), and Houdini certainly was a very popular magician and escape artist in his day. His horoscope shows a splash pattern of planets and a splash he definitely made with his stage act!

You may wish to check out Houdini’s bio details and natal horoscope at astrodatabank’s Wiki pages:

http://www.astro.com/astro-databank/Houdini,_Harry

And here is his natal chart with my scribbles added to show a few basic details. Not shown is Houdini’s death chart which has malefic planets on Angles as death charts tend to do: transit Saturn in Scorpio conjunct Midheaven, and Halloween 1926 Neptune conjunct his natal Descendant.

As you see, chart-rulers Saturn and Uranus oppose one another across the self-willed Leo/AQ axis;  the two ‘enemy planets’ make no applying aspects in the chart, however, both square (blockages, obstacles–like a pair of handcuffs) testy Mars so here is a T-Square pattern of violence, danger, injury, and/or accident. As you know, Houdini liked to place himself in dangerous positions onstage and made his income from this “thrill-seeking” behavior which expresses through Mars in 2nd house of Earning Ability: