27 July 1970 at 19:38 in Bay Shore, New York, USA
Vic was born when 1º40′ of Capricorn was rising. This means that the rising lunar mansion was the Sun’s Uttara Azhaadhaa and that Capricorn was also rising in the navamsha. This alerts us to the sweet spot factor occurring at degrees where the subdivision sign are the same as the sign they subdivide. This sweet spot has a “factor of four” since it occurs in four subdivisions (D3, D4, D9, and D12). When the ascendant lies in a sweet spot it strengthens the underlying template of the overall chart, making it more capable of supporting strength and minimizing weakness. It causes not only the cusp of the first house but of all four kendra houses to be in synchronous subdivisions. So Vic’s underlying chart template has good basic strength.
The region of Capricorn rising in Vic’s horoscope is in the mansion of Uttara Azhaadhaa which adds a penetrating and incisiveness to Capricorn’s normal traits. The Sun owns this mansion. The combination of the Sun and Saturn owning the ascendant makes for a natural leader (Sun) with strength and mass appeal (Saturn).
This description fits Vic quite well, who has been a leader in whatever endeavor he undertakes (president of a temple, headmaster of a school, leader of a fairly popular band, etc) and who is fairly loathe to fill the role of a follower. The reason this turns out to fit Vic so well is that both the Sun and Saturn aspect the first house as well as own the ascendant degree. The commanding Mars also aspects Vic’s first house.
Although Vic’s rising sign is earthy Capricorn, the overall chart shows equal influence of fire. This balance of fire and earth is characteristic of strong leaders. His modes show an important imbalance: Cardinality dominates dramatically while Duality is reduced into obscurity. This lack of Duality is an underlying factor of Vic’s chart template, causing the pervasive effect of him becoming passionately committed to the first thing that attracts his attention without the patience to examine alternatives. He closes off the doors to possibilities in the interest of running down the hall as fast as possible. Though he can “run” exceedingly fast, he often misses shortcuts or more enjoyable paths.
Saturn, the Sun and Mars exploit this underlying propensity for a lack of patience and objectivity and make it a tangible reality. The planet of patience (Saturn) aspects the first house from debilitation in the emotional heart (4H). The planets of decisiveness (Sun and Mars) aspect the first house from the fourth sign, the emotional heart of the Zodiac: Cancer, in which Mars is debilitated.
This brings forth the topic that Vic’s ascendant lord Saturn is debilitated, and so is Saturn’s dispositor Mars. Debilitation of the first lord weakens the overall potential of the chart to bring forth fully powerful results. Debilitation of Saturn in the fourth house evokes themes like:
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- Extremely deep seated emotional grief,
- Dirty, old, dingy austere living conditions
- Loss of home, homelessness
- Cold or inaccessible relationship to the mother
- Extreme impatience
These bullet points have proven true in Vic’s life, but not to an absolute extent. There are several reasons why: First, Saturn is almost to 28º of Aries, which is well past the boundary of his true debilitation, 20º Aries. In that sense it is simply in a sign owned by a planet he is neutral towards. It is in a neutral zone within the debilitation sign.
Additionally, Saturn gets modification of debilitation from all three possible avenues: from Mars, Venus and the Sun. The help given to Saturn from Mars and Venus falls into the category of super-modification.
Overall Saturn’s True Dignity is low (8.4) therefore the points in the bulleted list above have proved to be true in Vic’s life. But because his “debilitation” is only an apparent condition, not a deep and hopeless reality, these bullet points have not been able to exert a devastatingly negative influence.
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- Although he does deal with a pervasive sense of general dissatisfaction and disease, he is still quite a positive and happy person.
- Although he has dwelt in filthy, decrepit and austere living conditions (punk squats, vehicles, couches, storefronts, stage-side attics and ashramas) he generally lives in quite comfortable homes with normal amenities.
- Although he did lose a house and car to foreclosure and was actually homeless for a short time in his early twenties for the most part he owns or has owned ample and excellent property, including good cars and houses.
- Although the decade he spent as a renunciant made his relationship to his parents and mother completely inaccessable, their relationship before that time was exceedingly deep and beneficial, and was repaired to a significant extent afterwards as well.
- Extreme impatience is more difficult for Vic to escape because it is supported so well by the underlying lack of duality in his chart and thus his unwillingness to consider alternatives. In the other senses of the word “patience” Vic is actually quite strong.
I have discussed Vic’s fourth house, which is a key location for the Capricorn template. Now lets look at the other key house, Libra, the tenth, occupied by Jupiter, who is a key planet for the Capricorn template. Thus a key house holds a key planet. The result is that Vic works very hard to attain recognition in careers connected with religion, philosophy, morality, counseling or law. His house of career gets a strong influence from Mars, who is the planet of independence and who exalts in the house of self when Capricorn rises. This indicates that Vic pursues his own independent careers rather than working for (or even with) others. His lord of career, Venus, has entered into the house of sexuality, occult and the deep mysteries of existence.
It is here that we find a very significant focus of power in the horoscope.
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- Venus (5/10L) + Mercury (9L) in the eighth house
- From the perspective of the Moon, this is also a Power Combination, because Venus is the Moon’s first lord and Mercury is the Moon’s fifth lord.
- Venus is a one-planet combination, so the Power Combinations she forms are more potent.
- From the perspective of the Moon, Ketu in in a kendra with two kona lords thus forming two additional Power Combinations.
- Mutual aspect between Saturn (1L) and Venus (5/10L)
- From the Moon’s perspective this mutual aspects is a Power combination between the lord of the ninth and tenth (Saturn) and the lord of the first (Venus).
Therefore Vic has extreme power, and it is all focused in the eighth house involving the houses self, intelligence, philosophy and career. It would not be difficult at all to see that Vic has seldom seen powers for using his intellect and philosophical understanding to create a strong impact on society as a result of a self-made eighth house career. The mysteries of life, occult and the practice of astrology are key topics of the eighth house. Vic is the author of this book.
Looking at Vic’s power combinations you will find that they appear from most angles to be no less impressive and potent than the charts for greats like Einstein, Obama, Oprah and Angelina Jolie. Why is Vic not as famous as they? Will he be one day?
Not likely. The most significant reason is the location of Vic’s power combination compared to the locations of theirs. Einstein’s is in the tenth house, Obama’s in the first house, Angelina’s in the ninth, and Oprah’s in the second. These are all very open, supportive, strengthening houses. Vic’s power combinations, though equally impressive on their own, are in the eighth house which is a hidden place. This is the reason Vic has achieved significant fame as a musician, but it is limited to a very underground genre. He achieves great fame and world renown as an astrologer, yes, but what is the scope of serious astrology in the first place? It is an underground, cult interest. Because Vic’s power is in the eighth house his fame and recognition occurs in these alternative, hidden and underground scenes.
The lack of any Wealth Combinations confirms that, like Einstein perhaps, the fame that Vic achieves is not the sort that, “Rakes in the dough.”
Regarding Vic’s accomplishments as a musician. The Moon is the planet with greatest Sixfold Strength (1.5) and has very high True Dignity (16.6). By nature the Moon is creative and rhythmic. She occupies the house of creativity (5H) in her favorite sign, the artist Venus’ Taurus. There she dwells in the lunar mansion of Rohini, which is renowned as the home of abundant creative and artistic expression. The Moon is very influential in the chart, dispositing two planets, and being the final dispositor of four, including the ascendant lord – so her exalted and potent abundant artistic creativity spreads throughout the horoscope. The lord of creativity (5H) is Venus, and we have previously described how escalated her power and import is by way of all the Power Combinations she forms. This artistic planet mutually aspects the ascendant lord. The lord of self expression (3H) occupies the house of career and is Jupiter, the planet of sound. The lord of entertainment (11H) aspects the house of career and the house of self.
Vic is a successful Musician in half a dozen artistically important bands, published a dozen or so important albums, toured the world in performance several times for many years and even played with many mainstream successes like Linkin Park and members of Rage Against the Machine. Still music always seemed to take a backseat to his primary interest in the more dominant significations of Jupiter and his empowered eighth house: religion, philosophy, occult, etc.
