Brooklyn Author Betty Smith

Betty Smith, the well-known author of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, had an early play produced in New York City this season. I was surprised to learn that she had actually been a playwright for most of her career, and had no real success until her novel was published when she was 47 years old.

A Sagittarius, Smith was born on December 15, 1896 at 6:00 p.m. in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, according to her biographer (though no source is given for the time). She had many trines in her birth chart, but her life often wasn’t easy. With Cancer rising, her Moon in Taurus in the 11^th house is exalted, suggesting popularity and a good income from her career. A grand trine with Jupiter in Virgo in the 3^rd house and Mercury in Capricorn in the 6^th house shows her facility for writing. With Cancer rising and a prominent Moon, her best work drew on her memories.

Betty’s mother was practical and down-to-earth (shown by the Moon in Taurus and 10^th ruler Jupiter in Virgo). But her father, well described by the Sun in Sagittarius opposite Mars and Neptune in the 12^th house, was a dreamer who couldn’t support his family and died of alcoholism when his daughter was just 19. The Moon also squares Venus on the cusp of the 8^th house, showing other family issues and their modest circumstances.

Betty was forced to work at around age 15, and she worked diligently for most of her life, often struggling to get by. She returned to school twice but never completed her high school degree. And while she later attended college and then completed a master’s program in playwriting at Yale University, she never received those degrees because she lacked the prerequisites.

There are no angular planets in this chart, and aside from the Moon, there’s a lack of essential dignity. The 7^th, 8^th and 9^th houses are all traditionally ruled by Saturn, but its near-exact conjunction with Uranus, the modern ruler of Aquarius, covers these houses either way. Placed in Scorpio in Smith’s 5^th house, we can see her relentless pursuit of education and creative work, and her focus on her two daughters throughout her life. But there was often an element of both responsibility and unexpected change in each of these areas. Saturn may delay things, but with a close trine to the Midheaven, the author always found opportunities and had great success after middle age.

Smith’s sometimes rocky marriages also come under the rulership of Saturn and Uranus. After splitting with her first husband following his infidelity and some separations, she essentially raised her girls alone. She became bored with her younger second husband when their relationship stabilized, and her third husband, also younger and reflecting the Neptunian pattern in her chart, was a drinker who secretly cashed large checks and pawned household items before he died of a sudden heart attack when his wife was 63.

Smith worked in North Carolina for the depression-era Federal Theater Project and stayed there the rest of her life. She wrote many plays, mostly with others, and earned some money through publication. She drew on her personal experience for A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and writing about urban poverty from a female point of view was innovative at the time. The novel also resonated with many during the war years, as it reflected a simpler time and depicted women struggling to hold their families together and survive.

Many astrological events combined at the book’s publication on August 18, 1943 which radically changed Betty’s life as it quickly became a best-seller. Smith neared a progressed Solar Eclipse in her 8^th house (she had been in debt before immediately receiving a large royalty check). Her progressed Midheaven at 13 Taurus in her 11^th house of career earnings trined her 3^rd house Jupiter and sextiled her Ascendant. The progressed Ascendant at 21 Leo trined and sextiled her Sun-Mars-Neptune oppositions from her 2^nd house of money. The progressed Moon and Mercury in Capricorn through her 7^th house kept her focused on her goals and added the help of her publisher and the public as both planets sextiled her MC and natal Saturn-Uranus conjunction. And transiting Pluto also squared her ruler, the Moon, from the 2^nd house.

Smith continued writing; her fourth novel Joy in the Morning (1953) took a nostalgic look at her first marriage and was also a best-seller. In early 2023, when her early play was first produced in New York, transiting Uranus in Taurus was near the progressed MC of her break-out novel, and squared her Nodes from the 11^th house.

Like her mother, Betty Smith tragically suffered from dementia as she aged, and she began having trouble with words. Jupiter in the 3^rd house square Pluto in Gemini in her 12^th contributed to her writing abilities, but ironically also suggests the possibility of mental challenges. In her early 70s, Betty began forgetting names and her daughters eventually institutionalized her. She died less than a year later at 75.

Perhaps due to her strong Moon in Taurus and its grand trine with Midheaven ruler Jupiter and IC ruler Mercury, we still share in Betty Smith’s memories of her family and the old neighborhood from A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. No wonder, since the image of a tree growing in a harsh environment is so aptly symbolized by her Moon-Jupiter-Mercury grand trine in earth signs.

Lynn Wells and Evangeline

Evangeline Adams practiced astrology in her New York Carnegie Hall studios from 1905 until her death in 1932, reading thousands of charts, with many more processed for mail order work by her assistants. One of these was Lynn Wells, who wrote the introduction to the 1970 edition of Adams’ autobiography The Bowl of Heaven. I could never find much information on Lynn Wells, until I located the publisher’s files and discovered that she actually used a pen-name.

Wells’ father, Clarence C. Smith, worked at Carnegie Hall and became its manager around 1911. The family lived next door until the Hall was sold in 1925. Lynn’s mother was friendly with Evangeline, who draw up her chart when she was a baby. She became interested in astrology, and beginning at age 17, “I was trained by Miss Adams and worked with her for many years.”

Lynn married in 1925 and started her own astrology practice with her husband. In 1946 they were pictured as some of astrology’s “top practitioners” in a Life magazine feature that said: “Most dignified of astrologers are Mr. and Mrs. Charles R. Wells, who have an early American apartment in Greenwich Village, deal chiefly with professional men, are considered a little high-hat by competitors. They married soon after Evangeline Adams predicted they would.” Adams’ home was done in an early American style, too, so maybe she inspired Wells. Holden and Hughes in Astrological Pioneers of America say that both Lynn and Charles wrote for astrological publications in the 1950s.

In The Bowl of Heaven, Lynn said that Adams “referred hundreds of people to me.” A newspaper article in 1940 stated that Evangeline “left Miss Wells a collection of some 7,000 to 8,000 charts.” But in her reply to an astrologer in 1982, Wells said that Adams’ “files contained at least 50,000 charts of clients, these no doubt lost or destroyed by now as I destroyed my own thousands of charts when I retired a few years ago.” I have never found any trace of Adams’ charts or office files; all are probably gone.

Lynn Wells was born on February 23, 1901 in Norwalk, Connecticut, according to her marriage record. In The Bowl of Heaven, she said that “my chart indicates that I cannot be a successful speculator.” The couple also appear to have had no children. So I’ve somewhat arbitrarily placed Uranus in her 5^th house.

Leo rising would explain the way Wells inserted her own story into her introduction to Evangeline’s book, as well as the somewhat high-handed manner in which she responded to the astrologer in 1982 who asked for information about Adams’ Windsor Hotel forecast. Unable to answer the question, she offered, for no apparent reason, “I note your chart contains the Part of Fortune and the Moon Nodes, which I consider superfluous now being invented by earlier astrologers searching for the source of Uranus and Neptune influences…” I don’t know who would agree today.

If she was born at about 4:00 p.m., Lynn’s Venus in Aquarius would conjoin her 7^th house cusp, and her husband was an Aquarius with the Sun, Mercury, Venus and Mars all in this sign. Lynn also seemed to have a compelling need to identify herself through her relationship with Aquarius astrologer Evangeline Adams (Pluto in the 11^th trine Venus). In accepting the assignment to write the introduction to Adams’ autobiography in 1969, she wrote the publisher, “The original Bowl of Heaven is inscribed to me by Miss Adams. Also her Astrology, Your Place Among the Stars is inscribed, “For Mollie, with sincere regard and affection from her teacher and co-worker.” In a P.S., Lynn added that “Mollie was my young nickname.” (Neither book was dedicated to Wells; by “inscribed” she means that Adams signed a copy of the book for her.) Decades after her death, she continued to remind folks of her association with her famous employer.

The name rang a bell for me, and I recalled two pictures of Adams sold on Ebay addressed to “Mollie,” both were dated after Wells had her own practice. One said, “For ‘my girl’ Mollie with much affection and all good wishes – Evangeline Adams, 1929.” (Adams was warm, if not effusive, in all of the signed photos I’ve seen from her.)

In fact, Mollie Smith was Lynn’s birth name, and Mollie Wells was her married name, according to her marriage and Social Security records. “Lynn” appears to have been a pseudonym. With Mercury in Pisces square Neptune, the difference between the two was blurred.

It seems rather strange that I came across two pictures Mollie owned. What are the odds? How many must Adams have signed for Mollie/Lynn in the first place? Lynn’s Sun opposite Mars fell right on Adams’ Nodes, and her Mercury conjoined Evangeline’s Ascendant, showing points of connection and identification. Her Moon conjoined Adams’ Pluto, hinting at the potential for an obsessive focus on the older woman. As Adams was the best-known astrologer of the time, their association served as something of an endorsement.

Mollie/Lynn Wells and her husband had moved to Florida by the 1960s, and later to North Carolina. Lynn died at the age of 90 and left quite a bit of money to her local library to expand its building.

Presidential Cycles

In my book, Tecumseh’s Curse, I studied the cyclic patterns in Inauguration charts. Since all three previous Sun-Saturn administrations “were limited in time and by circumstances,” I still think Joe Biden will be a one-term president.

Previous Sun-Saturn presidencies faced contentious issues. Examples are Zachary Taylor (1849), Rutherford B. Hayes (1877) and JFK (1961). In each, the country was divided as we addressed major conflicts regarding race, so I felt that “racial justice will once again feature during the 2021 administration,” which has proven to be true.

I expected previous Sun-Uranus and Sun-Pluto administrations to show similarities to 2021 as well. These cyclic patterns indicated that “financial affairs were often highlighted, with important changes in policies and trends,” the “political parties themselves underwent change,” and “the country’s territory, alliances and antagonisms came to the forefront.” We can already see how these influences have played out in the first half of the Biden administration with inflation, recession and rising interest rates; the changes in both parties notable in Congress; and developments involving relationships with China and Russia in particular.

I believe that planetary cycles are an extremely important forecasting tool. They reveal the patterns of history, and how certain themes are reiterated with each new generation. Since Joe Biden, inaugurated with the Sun conjunct Saturn, is presumed to be running for president again in 2024, I’m not sure exactly how things will play out, but time and further astrological study will tell.

The Milky Way

To start her new book, The Milky Way: an Autobiography of our Galaxy, Moiya McTier reminisces about her relationship with her “celestial mom and dad” – the Sun and Moon. As a girl in rural Pennsylvania, she felt they watched over her, and she’d speak with them regularly, sharing her news and feelings: “I sought comfort from the Moon well into my adolescence.”

And no, she’s not an astrologer. She considers herself both an astrophysicist and folklorist (which is probably about as close as you can get) who found “science and myth weren’t as contradictory as they seemed on the surface. Both are tools that we humans use to understand how we fit in with the rest of the universe.” I suspect that McTier represents a new generation of astronomers who don’t find astrology quite as threatening, offensive or absurd as those who came before them. In fact, she goes so far as to have the Milky Way say that “You might think they [astrologers] would annoy me but I like them; they remind me of my sufficiently awestruck ancestors.”

The marvelously organic conceit of the book is that it’s dictated by the Milky Way galaxy itself, who’s charming and pompous at the same time, as well as all-knowing, even admitting that, “consciousness is an inherent quality of the universe.” I loved the idea that a galaxy’s black hole holds their angst and negativity. This is a far cry from the typically materialistic astronomers we’ve come to know.

Dr. McTier mentions lots of sky myths from around the world, as the Milky Way waxes nostalgic for a time when humanity was more connected with the cosmos. Much of the astronomical information is accessible and even entertaining due to the Milky Way’s compelling persona; but some of it was still a bit too technically involved for this astrologer’s taste (reminding me that we, too, have the same problem communicating more detailed astrological analyses to the inexperienced).

They still don’t know exactly what dark matter is, though it comprises over a third of the universe. And there are only about 10,000 astronomers and 1,000 radio astronomers in the world. We exponentially outnumber them, interestingly enough. The Milky Way admits that measuring galactic distances is very derived and indirect, a thought that’s often struck me, too. A defense of astrophysics is that “some sciences are observational in nature, not experimental,” and related critiques have regularly been leveled at astrologers by skeptics.

Often accessible, The Milky Way is a refreshing and informative journey through the history of the cosmos. On her website, McTier says she was born in 1995, giving her the Uranus-Neptune conjunction in Capricorn signature of the times, which perhaps explains her gentler, more inclusive astronomical point of view. It’s notable that Dr. Percy Seymour’s The Scientific Basis of Astrology and Dr. Anthony Aveni’s Conversing with the Planets were both published in 1992, when the Uranus-Neptune conjunction was already nearly exact; both seemed to open the door to broadening views of astrology.

As Moiya McTier has not yet reached her first Saturn return, I’m eager to see where the coming years take her and what other topics she’ll address in the future.

Buy The Milky Way on Amazon.com.

About my reviews and links.

Birthday Twin Tragedy

Tyre Nichols and Breonna Taylor are birthday twins – an astounding astrological fact. They were both born on June 5, 1993, Tyre in Sacramento CA and Breonna in Grand Rapids, MI. We don’t have birth times for either of these young people, but we can gain some insights from their noon charts.

Tyre’s mother, RowVaughn Wells said at his funeral that, “my son was sent here on an assignment from God…” With this unique synchronicity, I think we have to agree.

The two were born a day after a total lunar eclipse, sometimes referred to as a “Blood Moon” since the Moon appears reddish in color. Many people were born near this date, so it certainly doesn’t imply violent outcomes for all. But the symbolism in these cases is chilling.

Eclipses can make for eventful lives. Lunar eclipses are full Moon charts that may bring things to light. The lives and deaths of Breonna and Tyre both highlighted irresponsible and abusive law enforcement practices.

The Sun in Gemini conjoined the South Node, and Mercury in Cancer was Out of Bounds in declination. Mercury also very closely conjoins the U.S. Jupiter – symbol of justice and the law. So we can see why their legacy has made them messengers and teachers of important lessons for the U.S.

The most notable thing about the charts to me is how normal they seem. There’s a Moon-Venus-Mars grand trine and many flowing aspects. I don’t believe either had essential problems with authority figures, since Saturn is very well aspected. There’s also an openness of expression in the Sun-Mercury-Jupiter T-square.

Mars in Leo gives courage and a love of life. But its inconjunct aspects to the generational Uranus-Neptune conjunction might show the forces outside of their own control that overtook them. And while Mars square Pluto in Scorpio gives perseverance, focus and self-sufficiency, this aspect might point to the tragic violence that they both encountered. We’d need full horoscopes to say more.

Breonna’s mom reveals that Breonna and Tyre shared the same birthday.

Update: What Evangeline Adams Knew

I’m very pleased to announce my update of What Evangeline Adams Knew: A Book of Astrological Charts and Techniques – now available in digital and print. Originally published 19 years ago (a nodal return), the book was ready for a renovation.

I corrected some errors (including a few birth times) and made it a little easier to read. It’s essentially the same book with a few additions. Evangeline’s teacher Catherine Thompson’s chart for her second wedding shows why it was problematic. Edgar Cayce biographer Thomas Sugrue’s account of his reading with Adams gives us another example of how she worked. And a short excerpt on astrological investing from Sepharial’s The Law of Values clues us in on the state of financial astrology in the early 20^th century.

What Evangeline Adams Knew introduces us to Adams through the charts and work of several of her teachers. We get to know her through her relationships with Aleister Crowley, her marketer husband and many of her friends and associates. I include the transcript from her 1916 trial for fortune telling in New York City, and analyze many of her forecasts for individuals, public figures (including politicians running for office) and mundane affairs.

Read the reviews and more about the book here.

If interested, be sure to buy the 2023 corrected and updated edition with the new cover above. What Evangeline Adams Knew is available on Amazon.com, Apple, Barnes & Noble, Scribd, Hoopla and other outlets.

About my reviews and links.

Judge Freschi and Evangeline Adams

Judge John J. Freschi famously tried Evangeline Adams for fortune telling in New York City in 1914, concluding that “The defendant raises astrology to the dignity of an exact science.” He exonerated her of all charges. It always seemed to me he was unusually sympathetic to Adams, and both his experiences with women and his horoscope give us some clues why.

The son of Italian immigrants, Freschi was born in Manhattan on March 9, 1876 according to New York City birth records. He graduated from NYU Law in 1898 and continued in private practice before being appointed a Magistrate by the Mayor in 1910 at the age of 34. He was married with two sons and they lived in an apartment in the West Village.

Freschi had been a member of the press club at school, regularly gave interviews to the press, and wrote for publication himself. Around the time of Evangeline’s trial, the judge advocated women’s suffrage in the Scarsdale Inquirer, saying, “Women have a right to be represented… The spirit of 1776 still lives! Why should any class have to live and be governed and taxed without just representation? Is it any wonder that there lurks in the hearts of some of the women of civilized nations, a spirit akin to rebellion?”

Judge Freschi had also presided over the Court of Domestic Relations where he heard many divorce cases and became known as “the judge who understands.” He had found that mediation and communication were key and was able to resolve many of the cases presented to him, saying, “The secret of a happy marriage can be told in three words: compromise, compromise, compromise.”

Evangeline Adams was born on a lunar eclipse, and John J. Freschi was a Pisces born right before a lunar eclipse. This may explain his ability to address complicated human issues, his compassion and pragmatism (since his Moon was in Virgo). His Mercury in Aquarius opposed Uranus, making him open to new ideas, and he realistically considered astrology in court, without jumping to conclusions. Jupiter in Sagittarius must have attracted him to the law and encouraged him to voice his opinions. But Jupiter squared Saturn in Pisces, once again tempering idealism with practicality and understanding.

Freschi played a short but significant role in Evangeline’s life. We don’t have his time of birth, but his Sun fell right on Adams’ Ascendant and Venus, so he was able to support her. His Mercury also conjoined her Sun, so he must have genuinely understood what she was all about. Since Adams was single and self-supporting at the time, he may have even admired her independence.

The judge’s Jupiter also conjoined Evangeline’s Saturn in her 9th house, clearly showing his legal boost to her reputation. I often feel that this combination can show a karmic influence, giving a sense of paying back something owed. Adams’ Nodes also fell right on Freschi’s own Jupiter-Saturn square, adding another note of destiny to their encounter.

Judge Freschi’s Saturn also conjoined Adams’ Mercury and South Node in her 12th house, so that his authority had an impact. Some have suggested that the judge was bribed with an astrological stock market tip, and the 12th house connection might show that possibility. But we’ll probably never know exactly what happened.

The often random relationship with a judge can have a huge impact on a person’s life. Evangeline gained much from Judge Freschi’s thoughtful decision, and talked about it for the rest of her life. It may actually be the main reason she’s remembered today. These two eclipse charts had an impact when they combined their energies!

Read about Evangeline Adams’ Court battle in my books Foreseeing the Future: Evangeline Adams and Astrology in America and What Evangeline Adams Knew: A Book of Astrological Charts and Techniques.

A T-Square and a Tough Time

I was remembering the therapist who’d helped me out of a funk over 20 years ago. Over the better part of a year, I learned she was a wise woman with a strong character. I only recently found that she’d been called to testify to the House Un-American Activities Committee! A surprise, though it made sense since this difficult experience certainly made her more grounded and strengthened her ideals.

I met Eleanor through a blind referral from my HMO. Saturn was on my Ascendant and many things seemed difficult. But I felt comfortable with her right away. She spoke softly, was a good listener, and always gave me some sound advice to consider or a practical, constructive action to take. I talked about being an astrologer and she shared that she was a Taurus. She was always sensible, reliable and supportive. It seemed inappropriate to ask more since she always kept a professional distance.

(Photo is of Eleanor and her lawyer at the McCarthy hearings.)

I did think that she had some Aries, since she had occasionally become impatient with me when I wasn’t seeing the bigger picture. She once referred to the years of World War II, so I knew she was older than she appeared. And I also thought she had some mutable placements, as she encouraged me to be assertive but also understood when to let go and adapt.

When I recently looked her up online, I found Eleanor’s birth date and discovered that her Sun, Venus and South Node all conjoined my Ascendant, creating a resonance between us and explaining why I had found her at this time, as we shared the Saturn transit. Her Jupiter trined my Mercury, so she calmed my fears. Her Saturn trined my Moon and she helped me stabilize my emotions and resolve my issues. She also had a Libra Moon like both of my parents, and her Jupiter and Saturn in Virgo seemed to increase her helpfulness and practicality.

The only other thing that turned up online was a photo of her with her attorney as she was being interrogated by Senator Joseph McCarthy and attorney Roy Cohn as a young woman in 1953. Her life had an element of destiny to it. I had been in the right place at the right time to benefit from her experience, and she had been in the wrong place at the wrong time and was forced through a frightening and potentially life-altering situation.

Eleanor had gotten a job right after college with the Army Signal Corps labs in Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, where her older sister also worked during World War II. Eleanor subsequently returned to school for her MSW, got married and worked at various counseling jobs.

A decade later, during the Red Scare, Eleanor and her sister were called in to testify and asked for the names and addresses of their co-workers, friends and associates. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg had been executed only a few months before. Rosenberg had also worked at Fort Monmouth, and Eleanor’s sister had dated a close associate of his who had fled the country several years earlier.

Cohn and McCarthy were relentless in their questioning of Eleanor, her sister and their husbands (who knew nothing first-hand of the events or relationships). Eleanor answered that she’d never been a spy or involved with espionage, but pled the Fifth Amendment many times so as not to incriminate herself. Eleanor and her family were variously threatened with contempt, perjury and further legal action.

Despite being a minor witness, Eleanor’s photograph was taken by an AP reporter and reprinted in Life magazine and newspapers across the country. I’m speculatively placing Neptune on her Midheaven for the press’ misinterpretation of her role and her career as a counselor. Scorpio rising would highlight her personal reserve, and places her Taurus planets in the 7th house of relationships. Her Libra Moon would then fall in the 12th, giving her empathy and the ability to work for large institutions like the HMO.

Eleanor’s most notable chart pattern is a probable T-square with her Moon, Mercury and Pluto. This may certainly show the tough circumstances she faced due to her sister’s previous relationship. But it also indicates resilience and the ability to put down boundaries, called into play when she faced Cohn and McCarthy. I always think of those with notable Pluto aspects to the lights as survivors.

At the time of her testimony, an astrologer could have told Eleanor that all would work out before too long. There were no close aspects from the outer planets, which are associated with longer-term issues and challenges. Transiting Saturn was opposing her Sun (showing the difficult situation with authority figures), but would soon pass. Transiting Mars had just conjoined her Saturn, probably helping her say only what was required. The North Node had squared her Sun and would go on to square her Nodes in a few weeks. But Jupiter in Gemini was at an exact station and closely trined her North Node, providing a release.

No charges were ever brought against the former Fort Monmouth employees. Six months after the sisters’ testimony, the McCarthy hearings were televised, leading to the Senator’s decline in popularity. He was censured on December 2, 1954, and died a few years later at the age of 48 (biographers suggest from alcoholism).

Eleanor and her sister continued their lives as therapists and counselors. Eleanor lived to 98 years old and her sister to 96! Her obituary was short and to the point, calling her “a remarkable woman who cared about family, people, social justice, and made a difference in the world.” I’m sorry I didn’t get to know her better; she made a big difference to me. Astrology helped me understand why.

The Master Class

I recently found my notes from a class with Robert Zoller on his length of life method. I was interested in the ancient techniques he had recovered from Guido Bonatti, which were something of a holy grail to him. The longevity class was eye-opening. But the Medieval techniques? Let’s just say I leave them to others!

In the 1990s, I was part of Bob’s study group on Plato and later Neoplatonic thinkers, and I attended a number of his astrology classes and lectures. We had both studied with Zoltan Mason and had an interest in forecasting and the history of astrology.

I also enjoyed several of Zoller’s books, especially Tools & Techniques of the Medieval Astrologers (1981), an exploration of the late 13^th century astrologer Guido Bonatti’s Liber Astronomiae and Medieval and ancient methods. Bonatti’s work was published in 1491 and included opinions from other astrological sources, notably the 9^th century Muslim astrologer Abu Ma’shar.

The determination of length of life presumes the astrologer is studying a chart shortly after a child’s birth. We first astrologically eliminate those who would die before the age of 3 or 4. If the child is judged to survive, the astrologer proceeds to further analyze the chart. The technique includes delineating planetary rulers, the Hyleg (the “giver of life,” indicating times of illness and danger), the Alcocoden (showing the years of life), the anaretic (or “killing”) planet, and various Arabic Parts. Planetary aspects and connections with the Nodes may add or subtract years, providing a range. A full analysis would also need the confirmation of Primary Directions. There are numerous variations and methods to direct to the key points, and the calculations become rather involved (as they should be for such an important topic).

Zoller actually offered the longevity analysis to clients. My notes from the time show that he charged $200 (his fees were always reasonable), provided no guarantee, and could give a 5 to 7-year range.

I asked Bob for a class on this method since it wasn’t clear to me. One of my grandmothers was German, and we had the official family book with birth times (to the quarter hour) of her and her 12 siblings from the turn of the century. I thought this was great data to explore the technique.

We began with my grandmother, who had a strong constitution and lived to her late seventies. We spent at least an hour in lengthy calculations, only to find that Bonatti would have eliminated her to the “dies in infancy” pile! This was disappointing. Based on the recorded birth time, she had 1° Virgo rising, with a 25° Leo Moon. Undaunted, Bob insisted that, “I think she must have had Leo rising.” I shared with him that Ida had kept a spotless house and had worked as a domestic for years. While she always took good care of her appearance, my father had succinctly described her as “a little mouse.” And this is how I remember her – definitely not Leo rising. (I wrote about her chart here.)

Still, Zoller, remained adamant about the Leo Ascendant; the technique simply wouldn’t work without it! Well, we’ve all done it. And certainly with Mercury in Aquarius opposite Saturn and Pluto, he could be opinionated. (And what I believe Jung had actually found with his married couples data is that, quantum-like, the person considering it will affect the result).

But the lesson was over, and with it my interest in Medieval astrology as a practical tool. It was too involved, too tedious, too annoying. As Zoltan Mason used to remind us, “Life is short, art is long, opportunity fleeting, experiment treacherous, judgment difficult” (after Hippocrates). Bob had once waxed poetic about Medieval monks sitting up late into the night with calculations, as I imagine he must have done, too. Not for me. And, I felt, it was no more accurate than the 17^th century techniques I was brought up with, and the 19^th century methods I was already becoming attached to.

The astrological experience, though, had definitely stretched my mind. I still have tremendous respect for Robert Zoller’s scholarship, research and results. But I ultimately feel there is no one-size-fits-all, definitive, hardline technique in astrology. What we can all do, though, is use what resonates with us, and get to know the values and limitations of our methods. That will always give us much to think about.

See my post about Robert Zoller.

Zoltan Mason taught the 17^th century astrologer Morin’s techniques. More on Morin here.

Angela Lansbury

I was sad to hear of Angela Lansbury’s passing yesterday at the age of 96. I had written to her in 1990 and she provided her birth data – true Libra responsiveness (and she had beautiful handwriting, too). Below is the astro-bio I wrote about her and her chart at the time. It’s a little dated, but I collected a number of her quotes that reflected the chart nicely. I see so few in-depth chart interpretations these days – I miss them!

We may know her best as Jessica Fletcher, the teacher tuned mystery writer of TV’s “Murder, She Wrote.” She’s reached millions of viewers every Sunday night for the past six years on CBS. She’s Angela Lansbury, and she’ll turn 65 on October 16. Much of her earlier work in films and on stage is not as well known across the country as her television work. Lansbury has, however, had an amazingly successful and versatile career, and also a most unusual one. In nearly half a century in show business, she has been nominated for three Oscars and has won four Tony Awards. With Leo rising, Lansbury is a natural actress, with the ability to express herself with strength, ardor, and dynamism.

She also has Neptune in the first house, giving her portrayals emotional depth and sensitivity. Neptune sextiles the Sun and Mercury in Libra in the third house, gracing the actress with a talent for mimicry, strong imagination, exquisite taste, and the need to express herself. It’s a flowing aspect, and has helped the actress through difficult times. As she’s said, “The only thing I’ve ever had confidence in is my ability to perform. That is the one area…. where I have never had any doubt that I could deliver the goods. That has been the grace note in my sonata of life, the thing that has absolutely seen me through thick and thin, and even saved my sanity on a number of occasions.

Neptune sextile Angela’s Sun and Mercury also gives her the ability to project what her imagination wants her to be. It has become part of her acting technique: “If you visualize yourself as graceful or beautiful or dynamic, it will affect how others see you.” The Sun-Neptune connection also contributes to her most obvious physical asset: her enormous clear blue eyes.

Angela has four planets in Libra in the third house: the Moon (actually in the second but near the cusp of the third house), Mars, the Sun and Mercury. Her need for communication is expressed emotionally (Moon) in action (Mars) and speech (Mercury) and serves as the basis for her career (Sun). The third house also imparts great versatility and talent in motor skills and speech. She’s said about her stage roles, “With each audience I feel I am communicating, telling them something I want them to know.”

Libra’s influence gives taste, delicacy, decorum, and the knack for instinctively
feeling the appropriateness of behavior, all good traits for an actress. Because of four personal planets in the sign, Libra’s influence would be very strong. Lansbury herself has said, “I’m a true Libran. I wait, I weigh, I see both points of view. I’m thankful that while I waited for a [great] part…. I kept my hand in as an actress without settling for substandard material anywhere along the line.” Producers have said “Angela is a class act” and “any project where Angela is involved, everyone seems to class up. She brings her great taste to any project.”

Libra is always aware of other people and their feelings. When Women’s
Day asked about her reputation for being the nicest actress in Hollywood, Lansbury responded, “Sure I’m nice. I bend over backwards to be. I can’t afford to hurt anybody’s feelings because they might not like me, and I can’t bear not to be liked.”

Ms. Lansbury, born in London, has Saturn in Scorpio in the fourth house, accompanied by Venus in Sagittarius. Her childhood, home, and mother (also an actress) are all very significant in her life, indicated by both her Moon in Libra and Venus in the fourth house. Saturn’s placement indicates someone who had great responsibility at an early age, and also suggests the early loss of the father. Lansbury says, “I was an old lady at ten. When my father died, I became the partner with my mother in bringing up my brothers. I had to grow up fast.”

When Angie was just twelve, she left school to study singing, dancing, and acting. By the time she was fourteen, however, Great Britain was at war with Germany and was a dangerous place to be. InAugust,1940, Mrs. Lansbury wisely evacuated her family and boarded a ship bound for New York. The young actress continued studying drama in her new home, and at the early age of 16 was booked into a Montreal cabaret act, earning $60 a week.

Her mother continued her own acting career, and soon Angela joined the rest of her family in Hollywood, where she and her mom worked in a department store while they waited for acting jobs. An acting friend tested for The Picture of Dorian Gray and thought Angie would be perfect for the part of the dance hall singer that Gray loves and casts aside. He arranged for a screen test and, miraculously, Angela not only got the part, but also a seven year contract at MGM for $500 a week! She was just 17.

The next few years continued to be exciting. Angela first filmed Gaslight with Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer, playing a sneaky maid with designs on the man of the house. Then she played Elizabeth Taylor’s sister in National Velvet, and sang her heart out in The Picture of Dorian Gray. Amazingly, she was nominated for supporting actress awards for both Gaslight and The Picture of Dorian Gray.

From 1942 to 1944, Neptune remained in the early degrees of Libra, conjunct her Moon. Transiting Uranus was in the early degrees of Gemini in Angela’s eleventh house and trined her Moon and Mars. Her progressed Sun was just conjunct her fourth house cusp. In 1945, Angela married the actor David Cromwell, about 15 years her senior. The marriage lasted only nine months, and the actress now says, “I missed my entire adolescence. I was married before I was out of my teens. It was a shattering experience. It was my first crush and 1never should’ve gotten into it.” With so much Libra in her chart, however, Lansbury had a real need for a partner to share her life with. She soon met and I ell in love with actor Peter Shaw, also originally from England. On August 12, 1949, they returned to their native country for a wedding ceremony. They recently celebrated 40 years of happily married life.

Throughout the forties, Angela continued to act in many films for MGM, but the studio clearly did not know how to utilize this actress’s talents . Even as a young woman, she was repeatedly cast in roles for which she was hidden behind a mask of makeup to age her 15 or 25 years. She did get to sing on occasion, but she was primarily cast in supporting roles.

Lansbury has Jupiter in Capricorn in the fifth house of self-expression and creativity, indicating a seriousness in pursuing these areas of experience. Jupiter is also part of a T-square with Pluto in Cancer in the eleventh and Mars in Libra in the third, which should give her a tremendous amount of creative energy, but also potential difficulty with channeling it properly. Her hopes and wishes (eleventh) may be at odds with her artistic environment (Libra in the third house) and her own creative urges. The square between Pluto and Mars might put her own desires in conflict with the powers that be.

Angela has Aquarius on the seventh house, indicating that she could have a unique and unusual impact on the public. But the ruler of this house, Uranus, is hidden in the house, giving it greater inward power but more of an eccentric character. Uranus is in an out-of-sign opposition to her Moon, and is inconjunct both Neptune and the Sun. Angela’s image was unique, unusual, and individualistic; she did not fit easily into the existing order. She was not a glamourous starlet, but a real actress looking for a unique challenge. Uranus is probably also responsible for the sudden changes Lansbury has had in her career and the erratic quality of her great successes.

Jupiter in the fifth house, however, does have a flowing aspect – it tightly sextiles Saturn in the fourth house, inspiring Angela to be very responsible and hard-working; the sextile provides an easy outlet for her creative impulses. Because Saturn and Capricorn rule time, specifically old age, the studio’s easy solution to the problem of casting Angela was to give her parts of older characters to play. Over the years she has appeared as the mother of Elvis Presley, Warren Beauty, I.aurence Harvey, and Sandra Dee, to name a few; in many cases she was not much older than the actors who were playing her children. Angela has said, “Hollywood made me old before my time,” and she is not surprised when fans today consequently take her to be much older than she really is. The tendency to “age” Ms. Lansbury for a part continued throughout her career, including her role in Disney’s Bedknobs and Broomsticks and when playing Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple in 1980. Even the Broadway show Dear World, for which Lansbury won a Tony award, had her cast as an elderly woman.

Angela Lansbury did get other types of roles: salome girls, torch singers, loose
women, malicious and calculating women, and even murderesses. This is all clear from her horoscope. With all her Libra planets, she no doubt has a very pleasant personality. But her creative life is ruled by Jupiter and the T-square with Pluto and Mars, so She has often played vicious and dangerous women when she wasn’t playing middle-aged ladies; sometimes it would be both! One reviewer, for the New York Post wrote of her “glacial composure, delicate and ruthless reality that has managed to get into certain of her characterizations.” The actress has said, “From an artistic point of view I love these parts – you see, I lack guts in my own life. I lack fire and meanness. So I love playing it in screen roles.”

One outstanding film of her career was The Manchurian Candidate. At the age of 36 Angela played another older, ruthless woman: she was in league with the Chinese to brainwash her son, turning him into a presidential assassin. The role would earn her a third Oscar nomination. Lansbury followed the MGM years with various roles in film as well as television.

It is somewhat unsettling to realize that this lady’s career began in films because her reputation as a stage actress is so far reaching. Since her cabaret act in 1941, however, Angela had not performed on stage until she appeared in a Feydeau farce on Broadway at the age of 31. Her next New York stage role was in a sad British drama called A Taste of Honey, again playing a mother, but close to her own age of 35. Eventually, the legitimate stage seemed better able to use Angela’s talents: her enormous energy, true craftsmanship, and, later on, her singing. But her real success in this area came rather late in life, which can be explained once again by the strength of Saturn in her chart, angularly placed on the fourth-house cusp, in close trine to Pluto and sextile to Jupiter.

Lansbury also has Taurus on the tenth-house cusp, indicating a career in the arts. The ruler of this house, Venus, is in her fourth house and so rules beginnings and endings. Her early career was significant and, as she reached middle age and the later part of her life, her career began to develop and grow as never before. It is almost as if Hollywood had just been an apprenticeship before her real career.

In April of 1964, Angela appeared on Broadway in the short-lived Stephen Sondheim musical Anyone Can Whistle. At that time, transiting Neptune was at 17° Scorpio, conjoining her Saturn, and transiting Pluto was at 12 Virgo, sextiling both planets. She was beginning a complete transformation in both her career and artistic life, and described the show as “a real second wind for me, because it was my emergence into the musical environment as a performer and as a person, too. It really changed my life a lot. I’d proven myself to producers. I could sing. “The show had enhanced my musical talents. I was ready to go to battle again.” Although the show itself was a failure, it led to Angela’s greatest success ever: the starring role in the new Broadway musical Mame.

Rosalind Russell, Mary Martin, and Ethel Merman had all turned down the role,
and the show’s producers rejected many prior actresses before selecting the relatively inexperienced Lansbury. After auditioning, however, the producers refused to give her a definite yes or no for almost a year. At that point, this polite Libran with the strength Of Mars square Pluto and Jupiter took decisive action: “1 was exasperated and hurt – by that time I was absolutely hurt – because I felt I had extended myself, that I’d done my bit, and they couldn’t have the decency to make up their minds. So I said, `Either tell me now, or I’m going to go home, and I’ll forget about it. But don’t keep me hanging around any longer. It’s not fair.”

When Mame opened on Broadway on May 24, 1966, Angela Lansbury, at the age of 41, was instantaneously a star as the glamorous and eccentric NY socialite who adopts her nephew. Saturn was then at 27° Pisces, just past conjoining her natal Uranus. Transiting Uranus was almost exactly conjunct transiting Pluto at 15 Virgo in Angela’s second house, sextiling natal Saturn and Pluto and trining natal Jupiter. And transiting Neptune at 21 Scorpio was still in range of her natal Saturn, closely trining Uranus in the eighth house and going on to square Neptune in the first. With this once-in-a-lifetime combination of planets it’s no wonder she had a huge success and complete life change.

These transits must’ve given the actress even more energy than she normally had. She’s said, “The one thing God gave me is energy. Playing Mame is like being a track star. People out front have no idea of the endurance .you need.” She starred in the show for nearly two years, and was awarded her first Tony in June.

Lansbury continued in several stage musicals and plays over the next several years. Her next big hit was in the revival of Gypsy in London in 1973 and New York in 1974. Once again, critics and audiences alike were unanimous in their enthusiasm for the actress, this time cast as the ferocious stage mother who turned her daughter into Gypsy Rose Lee. In 1979 she earned her fourth Tony Award for her role as Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd by Stephen Sondheim. This black comedy had her once again in a Pluto-like role: a woman who bakes her lover’s victims into meat pies. Lansbury has said “I have two audiences actually – the ones who love to see me play bitches and the ones who want to see me sing and dance . . . [when a] role has everything… it’s perfect for me.”

With both Saturn and Venus in the fourth house, Angela is also domestic. “I was raised in a kitchen and that’s where we gathered at`home,” she says. “This, is where Peter and I live, where we chat and cook and the children gather around.” Together they have a son born in 1952 and a daughter 18 months younger. Typically for a Libran, Angela adds, “Home is my counterweight to work, and it’s important for me to keep the balance.” True to her Saturn and Venus in Sagittarius, she says, “I worry constantly if I can’t reach out and touch my own children. I long to cook big family dinners – even though my family is
probably thinking; `Oh God, is she going to cook one of those dinners again and do we have to go?”

While Angela’s T-square has certainly given her creative challenges, and it has caused some real personal tragedies as well. Pluto rules her fourth house and Jupiter rules the fifth: home and children would be affected. Uranus in Pisces in the eighth house with its difficult aspects has also caused some suffering and turmoil. About the death of her father, Lansbury says, “I was shattered. As a child you recover quickly.` But as years went by, I realized there was a tremendous void in my life.”

During the success of Mame, the actress’s son Anthony was having a serious problem with drugs. Although many different therapies were tried, treatment didn’t seem to help. Anthony’s -sister also had a lesser problem. About her son almost dying from an overdose, Lansbury said, “I couldn’t rest, or work again, until drastic measures were taken.” Then, in the fall of 1970, a huge brush fire completely destroyed the family home in Malibu. In November, Uranus was at 11° Libra, conjunct her Mars and activating the T-square in a sudden and violent manner. The actress has said about this traumatic period: “You can’t rant and wail and weep and carry on. ‘You’re absolutely numbed by it. It’s like cutting off a branch, a big luscious branch of your life, and sealing it off with a sealer so it doesn’t bleed. That’s what you do. That’s how the human mind
deals with these tragedies. Afterward you have to pick up the pieces and go on. Everything was telling me to take my family and get away, I so I did.”

Peter Shaw, now a successful agent, left his job, and the family bought a home in Ireland, where the kids got better and they all rested and recuperated. Angela did very little acting for two years: gardening and mothering were the order of the day. But slowly she got back into work, first with a Disney film, then an Edward Albee play in London, and finally Gypsy in 1973.

Lansbury contented herself with theater and film since that time, most notably Hamlet in London and Sweeney Todd. Significantly, in retrospect, she also appeared in a remake of the Alfred Hitchcock film The Lady Vanishes as Miss Froy, and The Mirror Cracked, an Agatha Christie thriller in which she played Miss Marple.

In 1982 Angela returned to television after a nearly 20-year hiatus to star in Little Gloria, Happy at Last. Several television movies followed, including “Lace” and “The Gift of Love.” Then came “A Talent for Murder,” in which she. played a disabled mystery writer. After a 1983 revival of Mame had closed, Lansbury received a script for the pilot of Murder, She Wrote and was immediately attracted to the role. The success of the two-hour pilot led the way for the series, which has already completed six seasons.

Jessica Fletcher’s life fits right into Angela’s natal chart. She’s a retired teacher (Leo rising; third and fifth-house emphasis), and had a personal tragedy when her husband died. The T-square and third-house planets could easily propel her into murder fiction. And she is the epitome of graciousness, attractiveness, and tact, although she has been known to be stubborn and firm.

Angela Lansbury is only one of a handful of women to make a success as the star of a one-hour Series, and probably the most successful. The show was rated one of the top ten of the eighties. Her grueling schedule (five days a week and up to 14 hours a day) would exhaust most people half her age. Most important for the star, her husband, who’s been managing her career for many years, and her son both work with her on the show.

Right now, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune are all transiting Lansbury’s fifth house in Capricorn, Saturn at 19° and Neptune 12°, both activating her T-square and forcing her to concentrate seriously on creative projects. She’s probably looking forward to some new challenges in the future: she recently signed a contract with Disney Studios to star in musicals and comedies. She probably won’t slow down yet, but we wish her luck in her new role as senior citizen. After all, she’s been practicing for it in acting parts for years!

Thanks to Dell Horoscope and Ronnie Grishman for originally publishing this piece in October of 1990.

Karen Christino

Astrologer and Writer