The Natal Chart of F. Scott Fitzgerald and the Roaring Twenties
by Jude Cowell
Please note that the following post previously appeared on my WordPress blog in 2013 and retains a few references to future events which have already occurred! However, the Astrology remains the same.
Original post begins here:
My friend Julie Demboski’s analysis of today’s entry of Venus into Mercury-ruled Gemini Talkity Talkity Talk fills us in on what and where we may expect this social energy to express.
And of course, one of the signs related to writing, Gemini, is the sign of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s natal Pluto (13:43 Rx) and his imbibing Mars-Neptune conjunction (20:38 and 20:18 Rx, respectively.) As you probably know, Fitzgerald ruined his health by years of drinking alcohol (and possibly taking other drugs–-I don’t know) with Mars signifying energy and action and Neptune ruling all forms of negative escapism.
Another ‘writing’ indicator is his Mercury-Venus conjunction in art loving Libra @24:48 and 23:12, respectively. Between this conjunction and his natal Sun @2Lib18 in the 8th house of Debt and Death lurks asteroid Bacchus and ‘bacchanalia’ is one way to describe the lifestyle and drunken parties of Scott and wife Zelda (born Zelda Sayre July 24, 1900 5:40 am CST Montgomery, AL.) Yet for their romance, we see that their Suns and Moons ('marriage') were sextile one another and their 1st and 7th cusps (Ascendant-Descendant axis of Partnerships) were 'flipped' by sign--his ASC-DESC @4AQ/4Leo, her ASC-DESC @9Leo/9AQ.
Also note that you'll find, below, a view of a horoscope of the ‘Roaring Twenties’ Solar Eclipse of 1923 in the 1 6 North Saros Series with its themes of ‘inspiration; creativity; illumination’ (Brady) and it repeats on November 3, 2013; enlarge the chart to read a few basic details. The 1 6 North Eclipse fell into Scott’s 7th house of Partnerships and Marriage and I imagine the drinking and dancing became even wilder for it! Its insights and material-released-from-the-unconscious influence must have inspired his writing as well.
Below is a view of The Great Gatsby author’s natal horoscope around which I’ve penned Zelda’s natal planets for noon since her birth time is unknown (update: now it is apparently known--there's a link to her chart, below, and her Moon was @6 Cancer 38) so Zelda was a Sun Leo-Moon Cancer personality blend of Fire-Water...steamy!
September 24, 1896 3:30 pm +6:12:22 Saint Paul, Minnesota; Hour of the Sun; final dispositor Venus (23Lib12 conjunct intellectual Spica and ‘different approach’ Arcturus); Full Moon +212 degrees 9 minutes = objective, clear-headed (but for the alcohol), revelation, illumination, fulfillment; potential for separation/divorce from partner–or, from reality. (Rudhyar); Air-Earth = rational, efficient, innovative, social, communicating–plans before acting; can lose touch with feelings; finds steamy Fire-Water types like Zelda fascinating.
With this Friday’s premiere of Baz Luhrman’s film The Great Gatsby starring Leonardo DiCaprio, we see that transit Jupiter (good fortune; increase; indulgence) has been traveling amongst F. Scott’s trio of planets in Gemini–Pluto, Neptune, and Mars when success, illusion (film), and luxury are spotlighted–-in this case, for those in the movie industry who have associated themselves with his novel, the Jazz Age, and those glamorous and giddy Roaring Twenties.
As you may be able to see, Zelda has a Gemini line-up of the same planets in different order and both were born soon after the Great Conjunction/s of Neptune and Pluto, a pair of generational planets signifying the supernatural, mystics, peculiar people, occultists, and psychics. Also, the pair is linked to: a craving for alcohol, nicotine and other substances, the pursuit of fantastic ideas, self-torment, manias, obsession, confusion, a lack of incentive to maintain health, and grievous loss (Ebertin.)
F. Scott Fitzgerald collapsed and died of heart attack after ill health and alcohol had weakened him in Hollywood, California on December 21, 1940. Transiting Uranus (sudden attacks) was in opposition to his natal Uranus in Scorpio (his mid-life crisis period), Jupiter conjoined his natal Moon in early Taurus after tr Saturn @8Tau13 Rx had been restricting it (deprivation, depression, ill health–Moon = emotions and physical body) and was heading back toward his Moon. This was also a Saturn-opposing-natal-Saturn transit, a time of little if any progress, regrets about the past, and other negative conditions possibly relating to work.
Nebulous Neptune @27Vir40 approached natal Sun thus weakening vitality and denoting unrealistic or misguided notions or goals, a lack of solid purpose, and much confusion; yet Neptune may also bring the highest creative inspiration though bolstering the ego (Sun) with alcohol (Neptune) has very negative effects at this time.
Well, there are many more things to discover in the natal horoscope of F. Scott Fitzgerald but I don’t want to ruin all your fun!
~:~Image below: Roaring Twenties Solar Eclipse @17Vir06 (a critical degree) conjunct art-lover and pleasure-seeker Venus 17Vir12; Hour of Jupiter in Scorpio which conjoins the Midheaven (The Goal) so the optimistic pursuit of happiness, jolliness, and wealth infuse the air; there’s a Water Grand Trine of creativity which is part of a Kite pattern (success) with quirky, progressive Uranus as the tail, conjunct South Node @11Pis31, seeks freedom from the past but also denotes deception and illusion. Plus, the sign of Uranus indicates behavior of a generation, and Pisces, ruler of feet, does love to dance and imbibe!
The wild parties of the Jazz Age are supported here by Neptune in entertaining Leo with Saturn and Neptune in a sextile aspect of eating, drinking, and smoking (oral fixation) and showing a tendency to use negative escapism to cover up and ignore problems rather than deal with Saturn’s harsh realities and responsibilities.
F. Scott’s birth data of *3:30 pm on September 24, 1896 in Saint Paul, MN has a Rodden Rating of AA (BC/BR in hand), if you care to check it out. And you may wish to view the natal horoscope (Rated B for bio/autobio) of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald as well.
*In his book The Sabian Symbols in Astrology, Marc Edmund Jones gives the same birth data for F. Scott.
And for another gilded trend-setter of the Jazz Age have a gander at One of a Kind: Miss Josephine Baker!
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