On the Chart and Unaspected Neptune of Lewis Carroll

The following post concerns children's author Lewis Carroll, born on January 27, 1832 as Charles Lutwidge Dodgson with a 3Sag24 Moon rising at his Ascendant 3Sag03. And with the astrological Moon as representative of childhood and the unconscious mind, we find a man who expressed such facets of his personality by befriending children all through his life, telling them fantastic stories which became the famous books we now know and treasure, and also by photographing children, some unclothed, at a time when film and celluloid planet Neptune had recently been discovered.

Alice in Wonderland
"Until you make the unconscious conscious it will direct your life & you will call it fate" Carl Jung

(Pardon! But what was a GIF linked above of Alice Through the Looking Glass made from an antique film has been made private (edit: October 23, 2021).

Meanwhile, perhaps we may agree that Alice's Adventures, with their down-the-rabbit-hole flavor, floated up from the super-creative unconscious material (Neptune's realm) of author Lewis Carroll who, as a man of his time, may have received some of his Neptune-themed inspiration via the opiates prevalently used in his day. Drugs, a favorite of escapist planet Neptune, with infusions from intense Pluto!

Horoscope: Lewis Carroll (Charles Dodgson) January 27, 1832 3:45 am LMT Daresbury, England; Hour of Saturn; chart-ruler Jupiter in 3rd house providing good fortune with Communications:

Planets and Aspects

A loner and mathematician who never married, Carroll's natal chart with its independent, self-willed and original Sun-Uranus conjunction describes this condition well particularly since the conjunction is in detached yet friendly Aquarius. A Venus-Mars conjunction in Sagittarius describes a sociable person (see his Venus-Mars aspect, below) though he may have met with duplicity or deception in relationships with Gemini on his 7th cusp (Descendant). See his Prenatal Eclipse themes, below.

Yes, Carroll's natal Moon @3Sag24 rises precisely with his Ascendant denoting one who desires intimacy in relationships yet avoids it due to a deep dislike of feeling obligated to others and with Moon in freedom-loving Sagittarius, seclusion and *solitude may have suited him best. Although he may have had no compunction about making demands on other people, he tended to withdraw before close ties could be established or demands made--and also for his own private reasons.

Emotional and sensitive, Moon-rising Lewis Carroll was highly imaginative and intuitive with a well developed fantasy life that helped him appreciate the simplicity of children and perhaps added a childlike quality to his personality. Talented with many skills (math, logic, drawing, photography, writing), Carroll was an original (Sun-Uranus) who had a precise and exacting mind suitable for Science, Math, and Logic (Mercury trine Saturn in science-oriented Virgo with studious Saturn Rx in the 9th house of Philosophy and the Higher Mind). This trine also aided him in putting his story ideas (Mercury) into the form (Saturn) of published books.

An Unaspected Neptune Tells a Fantastical Story

When the planet of dreams, visions, illusion, ideals, romance, deception, and withdrawal is unaspected and thus detached from the rest of the natal planets, it represents "a most passive condition for this other-worldly planet" (Epstein). Inner comfort and tranquility may be achieved by creating beautiful images (stories, drawings, photographs) within an exceptionally powerful fantasy life that is not shared within the environment. "Self-contained illusions" could be one result of Neptune's unaspected condition and may factor in with modern-day questions concerning Carroll's obsession with children and the photographing of them. He certainly seemed to be under the sway of filmy, gossamer Neptune and chose his own private ways of dealing with this elusive energy. With his unaspected Neptune, my suspicion is that his dreams seemed unattainable to him and may have included love for Alice Liddell, the inspiration for his main character--or possibly for her eldest sister.

So although Neptune is unaspected, it is apex planet of two midpoints with these potentials:

Sun-Mercury = Neptune: 'the play of imagination; simulating and deceiving oneself; writers and visionaries' (Ebertin); 'something undermining the perceived reality; possible deception by others; fantasy' (Tyl). And Mars-Jupiter = Neptune: 'a hopeless relationship; unfaithfulness' (Ebertin); 'being near a mistaken course of action; letting reality slip away' (Tyl).

Well, perhaps we should consider his other planetary aspects before Neptune floats us away on a cloud of dreams!

Lewis Carroll's closest applying aspect (2A34) to natal Sun (@6AQ16 in the 2nd house of Values) is a sextile by Pluto (@8Ari51 in 4th house) which describes the essence of his adult personality (Sun). Here we find an opinionated man with a strong will who developed self-reliance during his lifetime and who had an unconscious need for certainty (mathematics and logic?) and control (relationships with small children?); plus, some measure of unexpressed grief may have influenced him. Now I've not discovered what such grief might have been but only direct you again to his Prenatal Eclipse themes, below, which may have been operative for him around the age of 19, five years before he met the Liddell sisters at Oxford.

And since astrological Pluto can exercise a 'magical influence over the masses', his Pluto in Mars-ruled Aries is interesting for Ebertin gives it as: 'subconscious forces try to come to light in order to assist in the recognition of novel ideas'--as his Pluto certainly did!

Curiously, however, powerful Pluto squares natal Mercury (12Cap16), the writer's planet, and is an aspect of obsession and deeply-rooted neuroses (A. Oken). He is known to have suffered from stuttering as did some of his siblings (speech blocked by a powerful parent's cruel words?) yet paradoxically he was not adverse to public speaking and even singing (sometimes such activities ease a stuttering condition). This is fortunate for his career ambitions since a Mars-Jupiter sextile denotes a need to struggle for whatever recognition is received, and, if developed, suggests he had a talent for fighting his own battles.

Now perhaps you noticed that Carroll's gentle Sun-Moon sextile, a pleasant aspect yet denoting biases picked up from the parents during childhood. These can be overcome to good advantage, however, and his chart shows that he had the intellect and self-awareness to do so. The aspect also indicates friendliness, popularity, and harmony between the solar will and the lunar emotions which provided a path to easy self-expression via his writing especially through the agency of a helpful Mercury-Saturn Rx trine in practical earth signs (see below).

And if we look to chart-ruler Jupiter (@28AQ14 in 3rd house of Siblings and Communications) we find no applying aspects although Mars applies to a sextile with Jupiter (see notes on this aspect, below). Jupiter in 3rd house signifies mental expansion in education, publishing opportunities, thinking, and a spiritual orientation that supports his full 2nd house of Values (as noted, below). Of course, Aquarius broadens the mind when Jupiter is posited there and since Jupiter has no application, its sign and house position are emphasized.

Mercury-Saturn: signature of the professional writer

Perhaps the natal horoscope and talents of this famous and popular author may best be encapsulated by his Mercury-Saturn trine and the fact that the two planets are in mutual reception (in each other's sign: Virgo-Capricorn). But the real steam toward major success is found in the shape of his natal planets, a Locomotive pattern of success. This train is led by Saturn, planet of concentrated work and study, in Virgo, the sign of book writers!

Other natal aspects of note include:

Moon square Jupiter (5S09--separating and thus unconscious) which suggests excessive emotions, over-generosity (a people pleaser?), extravagance, and troubles in the religious sphere (trained in the Church but took no parish which relates, I believe, to his rising Moon in religious Sagittarius and his unaspected Neptune). Grandiose fantasies often come with this aspect, often inspired by an overindulgent mother.

Moon trine Pluto (5A26) intensifies the emotions and helps control them; a wellspring of creative imagination can be brought into manifestation with this very creative aspect and may have been part of his interest in delving into the psychism or spiritualism of his day. Also note a midpoint picture--two, actually: Moon-Pluto = Sun: 'a sensitive nature; a person easily excitable' (Ebertin); 'special far-reaching plans' (Tyl); and, Pluto-ASC = Sun: 'seeing a whole new avenue for success; full steam ahead' (Tyl).

As for Rev. Dodgson's original genius, ideals, invention, and novel ideas (Uranus) put into Saturnian form, we must consider the inconjunct (150 degrees) between the two planets, an aspect of adjustment. A Saturn-Uranus inconjunction (or, quincunx) describes Carroll as a loner (though with friends), a nonparticipant in some major area of life (romance with a real live person?), and one who is challenged by freedom vs responsibility issues (Epstein). This supports his Moon rising traits as noted, above. A nonconformist, Carroll took pains to assert his independence and the unusual perspectives he held made him an enigma to others. With this aspect, changes are made quickly and impulsively but only after much deliberation. Very tough on himself, he may have had an obsession with perfection but to reach for that, much self-discipline is necessary. This was probably well supplied by his Mercury-Saturn trine with studious, dedicated, responsible Saturn in serious Virgo, determined to lead the rest of his planets to major success.

Venus Conjunct Mars: Passion and Creativity

Obviously, physical passion in indicated by this joining of Venus (attraction principle) and Mars (desire nature) though as far as I can tell, no evidence has been found that its energy was expressed with others on the physical plane. Therefore, one word comes to mind--frustration. Yet a 2nd house of Mercury, Neptune, Sun, South Node, and Uranus suggests a man who inherited (South Node) strong spiritual values and principles (Neptune; 2nd house) who was perhaps resigned to settling for Neptunian illusions and dreams when it came to love and romance. We'll never know for certain but such a possibility is found in his natal chart.

Now Lewis Carroll's Venus-Mars conjunction has been left for last on our list of aspects so that it can herald the details and themes of his revealing Prenatal Solar Eclipse:

His Prenatal Eclipse fell into the 14 North Saros Series and manifested as a Total Solar Eclipse @14Leo34 August 7, 1831; 14 North Themes: 'an acute time of confusion in personal relationships, unexpected happenings in financial matters, and possible illness. Unrequited love, despair, confusion, a draining of energy, a peculiar turn of events; no important decisions should be made as there is too much confusion and possible delusion to make clear judgments' (Predictive Astrology, B. Brady; #ad).

A solar eclipse in Sun-ruled Leo suggests that karmic progress may be made by avoiding such pitfalls as pride, ego, vainglory, and self-will.

If you wish to check out the natal chart of Lewis Carroll sans messy scribbles, visit astro.com (RR: B) and for fans of his other whimsical writings, here's a not-to-be-missed article Five Fascinating Facts about Jabberwocky which I hope you'll enjoy!

*Solitude is the title of his first published work, a poem, the first under the pen name 'Lewis Carroll'.