Mystique: The Charts of Sphinxes

by Victor Olliver

This article was given as a talk on the 51st Annual Conference of the Astrological Association, 15th June 2019.

Thank you for your kind introduction – and thank you for attending this talk. As you see, it is entitled Mystique: The Charts of Sphinxes. And today we shall take a close look at the people past and present who astonish us with their public image yet withhold from us…some personal essence. We may call these people ‘inscrutable’, ‘enigmatic’, ‘secretive’, ‘veiled’ and ‘unpredictable’, but what they all do is tantalise – wittingly or otherwise (usually otherwise – they just can’t help themselves). 

We are awed by their spectacle yet intrigued by what they don’t disclose. It’s what we could call a game of ‘peek-a-boo’, except I don’t think it is a game. More, an inevitable consequence of a certain type of character. The chart signature we’re looking at is a planetary focus on Leo-Virgo by tenancy – I also include points such as Midheaven and Ascendant. We only interested in broad definitions. Leo we associate with passion, display, natal talent, spectacle and theatre. Virgo we associate with hard work, analysis, criticism or critiquing – the practical side of getting things right. 

When there’s a sufficient blend of Leo-Virgo energies in a natal chart, leaving aside other considerations, this can give rise to the sphinxlike and inscrutable personality. Naturally we are only looking at those who have achieved much and stretched their talents to the nth degree. Just as Gauquelin in his research of the Mars Effect only used the charts of the very highly accomplished athletes and soldiers – on the principle that they best represent the chart dynamics. And naturally, as astrologers, we are keen to find its signature or signatures in the natal horoscope. This is what this talk is about.

Road map

Before we get to this, a brief road map of what we shall cover today. First, we must define some key terms, such as ‘mystique’ and the phrase ‘sphinx-like’. And, how do we determine with some degree of objectivity who has this ‘mystique’ – is it not a quality that is just in the eye of the beholder? I shall then tell you how I got interested in this topic via a magazine commission to profile the French singing sensation

What we’re looking at are the charts of those with a pronounced Leo-Virgo signature, and other things besides. What arises when the energies of Leo and Virgo blend together? 

We’ll look at other charts, such as those of Mick Jagger and Madonna, before we digress to the Sphinx at Giza and discover a strange correlation between the monument itself (that is to say, its image composition) and the astrological signature of ‘mystique’. Then we’ll look at other charts and see variations in the signature. I’ll also take a look at a few people who at first I thought to be sphinx-like but who on closer inspection of their biographies turned out not to be – what do their charts look like? These I call the Faux Sphinxes.

Definitions

“A quality of mystery, glamour, or power associated with someone or something.”

“An air of secrecy surrounding a particular activity or subject that makes it impressive or baffling to those without specialized knowledge.”

Wikipedia links ‘mystique’ to a ‘divinely conferred charisma’. The etymology of ‘mystique’ derives from the Latin ‘mysticus’ – to do with mystery. Also from Ancient Greek for ‘secret’ and ‘mystic’.

“An aura of a person that is somewhat mysterious and is difficult to put your finger on” – Urban Dictionary. As for sphinx- like… “difficult to interpret or understand; inscrutable.” Even a “deceptive outward appearance”. Of the Sphinx itself: “The Great Sphinx of Egypt symbolises the royalty of Egypt as links between the man and deity and simultaneously acts as a symbol of man's dominance over nature. Some scholars also suggest that the Sphinx is a depiction of the solar god Atum. ... Thus, the Sphinx represents a composite of the mortal and the immortal.” (Reference.com). The original purpose of the Sphinx is unknown, but there are many theories.

How do we determine who has mystique?

Mystique is not a discreet trait like blue eyes or blonde hair. It’s in the eye of the beholder, like beauty. It’s a subjective impression filtered by perspective. So how can we reliably determine who is a human sphinx? We can’t objectively do this, but we can read what others say or said of the subject by googling our way through interviews, profiles, news reports, reviews etc. 

If there is a general perception of ‘inscrutability’ or ‘mystique’ or synonyms in the subject, then we can suppose that a lot of people felt the same. That’s the best we can do in determining something that cannot be scientifically established.  

Mylene Farmer

Dubbed ‘Queen Mother of theatrical pop and rock’. She has sold an estimated 35 million records, though probably more. Salman  Rushdie has said that she has ‘the voice of a fallen angel’.

I first got into this subject when I was commissioned by a magazine to profile the Canada-born French singer Mylene Farmer

Her stage shows are spectacular and often quite controversial, featuring naked models, skeletons and dancing robots. Her videos resemble mini-movies as she plays different roles and tackles difficult subjects such a suicide and rape. In 2005 her feminist rant ‘Fuck Them All’ aroused controversy. In 1991 a receptionist at her record company in Paris, Polydor Records, was shot dead by a man who demanded to talk to Farmer. 

She is also famous for not engaging directly with the media or public. She rarely gives interviews and when she does reveals little of her personal life or thoughts. Astonishingly, she has declined the Légion d'honneur [lee-shohn don-nuer] and many other awards. Her longterm manager and producer, Thierry Suc [Sook], attributes her steely disregard to her need for a preserved inner life. She prefers to lead an ordinary unobtrusive life ‘so that it can rejuvenate and nourish her work life.’

It is reported that Farmer is heavily involved in all aspects of her management and retains the rights to all her songs through her own companies. She is often described in the media as secretive, reclusive and sphinx-like. Let’s look at her chart. 

It’s a ‘bowl’-shaped horoscope – planets occupy just half the wheel – and is associated with selfcontainment. Eight of the 10 traditional celestial bodies are located in the northern hemisphere (lower half of the chart) – often indicative of a pronounced need for privacy and is often suggestive of a secretive and self-absorbed individual: no matter the fame, what matters most is the inner world (and by extension intimate relationships, family and organic creative focus). All but two of the planets sit in the eastern hemisphere (left side of the wheel), a further sign of independence, a likely indifference to what others think or expect. 

She is a double Virgo with two planets in Virgo and a Virgo Ascendant, two in Leo. The Bowl’s lead planet is Venus in Leo in the 12th house. Chart ruler Mercury rules her Venus through Libra, blending aesthetic sense and critical tendencies. As might be expected, this compounds many Virgo features – shyness, analytical and hyper-critical tendencies, perfectionism, intense attention to detail (a form of control-freakery), great curiosity about many things and often a fascination with health and animals. A powerfully developed Mercury (thanks to double Virgo – and the planet is located in the 2nd house of income) drives her to meticulousness in the crafting of her world: it is reported that Farmer is heavily involved in all aspects of her management and retains the rights to all her songs through her own companies. 

Leo supplies the heat and radiation; or, the need for self-advertising drama or theatre. If Virgo toys and organises, Leo locates the source of passion and directs it outward. With Sun (Leo’s ruler) in the 1st house (the cardinal sign of ego, associated with Aries) in Farmer’s horoscope, she will be driven to channel creative drive and mental direction in her own name and right.

This is not the only indicator of the diva, but it’s a major one. Her Sun is also close to empowering Pluto (bestowing charisma and enhanced influence on others – both Garbo and Farmer charts have Pluto in the 1st house). 

Farmer has never endorsed any fan website just as Garbo ignored fan mail and requests for autographs. Virgo asserts a distancing cordon sanitaire in the wake of Leo’s expeditions. A need to preserve inner purity (some might call it ‘privacy’; but that’s not all) is evident, particularly in response to the intrusion drawn by Leo’s outward performance. The more the public clamour to know her, the more she is repelled.

Greta Garbo

The late, great ‘Swedish Sphinx’ (or ‘La Divina’, as Garbo was alternatively known) because among her millions of worldwide fans is Farmer herself, a fellow Virgo, who in 1986 dedicated a song to the actress, titled simply Greta (on debut album Cendres de Lune [Ashes of the Moon]). In the lyric, Farmer calls her ‘divine’ and admires her statuesque distance from worshippers. In a later radio interview, she said of Garbo: ‘This is the woman who inspires me more than her roles.” Garbo - the remote gazer-over-yonder whose want was to be ‘let alone’ (not alone) - is Farmer’s template of deified virgin glamour. 

Garbo was the screen queen of the silent era of  Hollywood, its highest paid performer and a “virtual cult figure” according to The Washington Post in its 1990 obit. She did make the transition to sound movies. She was nominated three times for a Best Actress Oscar and in 1954 received an Academy Honorary Award – not that she turned up to collect it. It had to mailed to her home. Her films included Anna Karenina and Mata Hari.  She was at all times secretive and a reluctant superstar, no more so than after her early retirement from Hollywood. Sightings of her were like those of Big Foot. She said little of consequence in interviews and avoided photographers. She was famously controlling on set as swell.

In 1965, The New York Times wrote of her:  “Her insistence on privacy spread to her working hours. During her scenes, all visitors were barred from the set, and when close-ups were shot a black screen was placed around Garbo and the camera. Noel Coward, one of her friends thought this was little too much. “It’s a public profession we’re in after all.” he told her. “If I am by myself,” she answered, “my face will do things I cannot do with it otherwise.”

Garbo’s chart is something of a splay, Mercury ruled like Farmer’s but via Gemini, with Venus and North Node in Leo; Mercury in its dignity in Virgo and Sun in Virgo. Like Farmer’s chart it is low in water. We see that Sun squares Pluto, which denotes a tendency to secrecy, compounding the Leo-Virgo mix. Farmer’s natal inclinations drew her to the Garbo option.

Garbo and Farmer – and Bowie, too

While the Garbo/Farmer Virgo horoscopes differ in many respects, there are key similarities. Both are predominantly ‘earth’ charts (each has four planets in earth signs), an element traditionally linked to practicality, to the realisation of dreams in reality. Both have a feature called an ‘earth grand trine’ linked to the chart’s career point, assuring fairly easy success in all kinds of creative work (such as music) and material comfort, though warning of complacency.

Both have only one principal planet in water – Neptune, symbolic of glamour and illusion, among other things. In astrology, water represents emotion/feelings, intuition, empathy, receptivity, creativity, imagination. Capricorn David Bowie, arguably the greatest modern theatrical pop and rock star ever, also has just one planet in water. 

Low water and compensation - psychology

The virtual absence of water in these charts may make it an especial focus of compensation. In psychology, ‘compensation’ is described as a mechanism by which an individual attempts to make up for some real or imagined deficiency of personality or behaviour by substituting a different form of behaviour. 

Compensation may take the form of consciously working on the expression of the perceived under-represented element, in this instance water, so that it is strengthened (or compensated for) by volition. If a ‘weak’ water horoscope describes an individual beset by notable challenges in establishing a rapport with other people – and Garbo and Farmer were or are painfully shy, particularly in childhood, seeking escape in the ‘veil’ – then creativity, performance and theatrical image projection can be interpreted as counter-balancing expressions of water. And, in a sense, this counter-balancing forges a rapport with others, albeit an impersonal or distant one.  

Both charts of Farmer and Garbo are ruled by Mercury (Garbo’s rising sign is Gemini, Farmer’s Virgo – both signs of Mercury), an indicator of ‘living in the head’, of selfpreoccupation but also of huge curiosity and scepticism; logical analysis and cool decisionmaking. The basic Virgo nature of Farmer and Garbo analyses, dissects and evaluates; activities of essential dispassion. A cool detachment exists in the heart of the Virgin. In general, the behaviour of both stars – controlling, independent, curious and ‘perverse’ or seemingly capricious and driven by personal, causative thought - fits the mercurial label.

Michael Jackson and other LeoVirgo showbiz sphinxes

Jackson’s chart – mutable, fire/earth chart with lowish water representation – but air is the element most under-represented. A splay chart. We see a large number of celestials and pars fortuna in his 6th house in Leo/Virgo running over the Descendant point.  If ever there was an ‘inscrutable image-driven superstar’, it was the late ‘King of Pop’ Michael Jackson, adept at cloaking himself in magical spin and mystery (and sometimes confusion). Both the Jackson and Farmer birth charts have well-populated Leos (including Venus, Uranus and pars fortuna), boosting theatricality and image impact. And both have superconjunctions of planets and points across LeoVirgo, combining fiery projection with a cool, analytical and controlling inner self. 

Jackson sold over 350 million records (probably a lot more), and Thriller remains the top selling album of all time.

Courtney E. Smith writes of Jackson on the Refinery29.com website:

It can be hard to wrap your mind around how famous Jackson was, and how untouchable — as in, he literally surrounded himself with people (attorneys, security, and at times paparazzi) who made it impossible to get near him.

The peculiarities of his persona included his altered physical appearance, his fantastical Neverland Ranch, rumours and claims about his sexuality – the last seemingly confirmed by the recent film Leaving Neverland. The Neverland Ranch became the location of his weirdness, secretiveness and buffer against the world.

A sound engineer called Rob Hoffman described Jackson’s work methods: 

One morning MJ came in with a new song he had written overnight. We called in a guitar player, and Michael sang every note of every chord to him. 'Here’s the first chord, first note, second note, third note. Here’s the second chord first note, second note, third note’…He would sing us an entire string arrangement, every part. Steve Porcaro once told me he witnessed MJ doing that with the string section in the room. Had it all in his head, harmony and everything. Not just little eight bar loop ideas. He would actually sing the entire arrangement into a micro-cassette recorder complete with stops and fills.

Madonna

A locomotive chart with lead planet Mars in Taurus.

Madonna is the bestselling female recording star of all time. She has pushed boundaries throughout her career, sexual, religious and political.

And since we’re thinking of a certain type of theatrical performer (who is also aloof or glacial; playful, versatile; details-obsessed and sexually cold-blooded or ‘untouchable’ as image, yet stunning on stage or screen) what about stalwart pop goddess Madonna? Her birth chart, too, has a Leo-Virgo preponderance with six of her 10 principal planets in those two signs, with Sun in Leo, including pars fortuna. Like Garbo and Farmer, she has just one planet in water – once again, Neptune. Her chart ruler is Mercury (also rising) with Virgo on the Ascendant.

And as is the case with all the other mega-stars mentioned so far, her Venus is in Leo – the classic indicator of ‘showiness’ The elemental make-up of her horoscope is earth-fire: practical, dynamic. Water representation low.

The singer Sting has said of Madonna:

She’s outrageous, she’s provocative, she’s inscrutable and over the years we’ve all been witness to her evolution from street-smart kid sister to virgin bride, from a sex goddess to yogini.

For her new album Madame X she takes on the part of Madame X whom she describes as

... a secret agent. Traveling around the world. Changing identities. Fighting for freedom. Bringing light to dark places. She is a dancer. A professor. A head of state. A housekeeper. An equestrian. A prisoner. A student. A mother. A child. A teacher. A nun. A singer. A saint. A whore. A spy in the house of love. I am Madame X.

In Wikipedia, there’s the following item which is quite telling of her mutability:

Madonna claims that she was given the name of the album [Madame X] at the age of 19 by her then dance teacher Martha Graham. According to Madonna, Graham said: ‘I’m going to give you a new name: Madame X. Every day, you come to school and I don’t recognise you. Every day, you change your identity. You’re a mystery to me.’

Some may question Madonna’s inclusion as a sphinx. Her extrovert performance- sexuality alone might appear to blast away mystique. A closer study of her personality reveals much complexity, not least in the way she has evolved through many serial personae since the Eighties, all the while exhibiting a glacial and controlling relationship with the media and her public. The sheer variety of her work alerts one to her readiness to role-play and to adorn masks for commercial-creative purposes. Her planetary triple in hot-blooded Leo is not wasted even as her Virgo Mercury-Moon graces her work with research and practical calculation. 

Madonna has attracted much interest – even from intellectuals keen to examine her iconography. For example, Madonna as PostModern Myth: Madonna has long been accepted as a pop culture icon, but this text postulates a greater cultural importance by analyzing her as a postmodern myth. This work examines how Madonna methodically discovered and constructed herself (often rewriting her past), the nature and extent of her ambition and the means she used to reach her goals. It also details the way in which she organized her own cult (borrowing from the gay community), devised her artistic output, and cunningly targeted different audiences. It also studies the fundamental contradiction - virgin or vamp? saint or prostitute? - that fuels Madonna's career and describes how Madonna reflects today's society, its contradictions and its attitudes toward sexuality and religion.

Kevin Spacey

Another ‘fallen hero’ in the light of allegations of sexual misconduct by a number of males. Spacey without question is a leading actor of his generation, a star of stage and screen and a celebrated impressionist, winner of two Oscars – his movie credits include The Usual Suspects (in which he played the enigmatic and mythical Verbal Kint-Keyser Soze (‘Kaiser Sozay’) and American Beauty.  His specialty is playing charismatic anti-heroes. He was also once Artistic Director of the Old Vic. 

Profiles usually describe him as “enigmatic”.

“Voted ‘Greatest Actor of the Nineties’ by Empire Magazine, placed third in a 2001 FilmFour poll of the hundred greatest-ever movie stars, he is a double Oscar winner and has been equally successful on the stage, being appointed Artistic Director of London's Old Vic Theatre in 2003. Yet like his most famous screen character, Keyser Söze, he has remained a shadowy and mysterious figure, notoriously protective of his private relationships…

His chart – we don’t have his time. Six of 10 principal planets fall in Leo/Virgo. In this chart there is no air and water is low. Fire and earth dominate. It is a bucket chart with Moon in Aries as handle.

Amazingly for such a celebrated contemporary actor, what little is known of his family or private life is thanks to his indiscreet brother Randy Flower. He has spoken of their father as a Nazi worshipper and sexual abuser. Spacey has never given a revealing interview – he once said:

It’s not that I want to create some bullshit mystique by maintaining a silence about my personal life. It is just that the less you know about me, the easier it is to convince you that I am that character on screen.

So effective was this screen he erected over his private self that when I proposed to write a biography of Spacey several years ago, I met with nothing but publisher unease. There was a story to tell, I had already done research, not all of it flattering of Spacey. Some claimed he was “litigious”, yet there was no evidence of this.

The only book on Spacey is a self-published effort by Robin Tamblyn.

Mick Jagger

Sir Mick Jagger, a septuagenarian Leo who can still deliver the most athletic, turkey-strutting rock stage experience, lives a very public life yet actually says very little for public consumption.  He hides behind PRs and a knowing, teasing ironic humour - and has attained a certain kind of impenetrable world glamour sustained by hazy media reports and countless anecdotal glimpses in other celebrities’ biographies. 

Six principal planets occupy his Leo-Virgo signs which also sre home to his North Node and, pars fortuna and Chiron. His chart is Mercury-ruled with Gemini rising. Flamboyance and excess are what he is famous for, yet in reality he is dedicated to his health and doesn’t do kiss ‘n’ tell. He is known to be highly controlling.

Rob Sheffield in The Rolling Stone magazine wrote of Jagger at age 75:

After all these years in the public eye, he remains the ultimate rock & roll trickster. He’s the most visible of rock stars, yet also one of the most mysterious and unfathomable — not to mention the funniest. He’s the most elusive of the Rolling Stones — anybody can tell right away what’s cool about Keith or Charlie or Woody, but Mick takes pride in keeping his secrets to himself. That’s a key reason why we obsess over him. Pleased to meet you! Hope you’ve guessed my name!’ he leers in one of the Stones’ most infamous classics, ‘Sympathy for the Devil’, and he’s never made that guessing game easy. Who could hang a name on him? He’s the ‘Jigsaw Puzzle’ none of us will ever solve. Bless him for that.

Kate Bush

The British singer songwriter and producer, famous since 1978 with her debut hit single Wuthering Heights. She was the first female artist to get to No 1 with a self-written song – independence is a huge theme of her career, indicated by Uranus close to Sun in Leo. Other work includes albums Lionheart, The Sensual World, The Red Shoes and 50 Words for Snow. One of the theories why she abandoned touring is because she insists on total control of all elements, which is impossible with live stage performance. Everything about her is highly unconventional and theatrical.  She is also known to highly elusive and secretive, capable of withdrawing from the world for long periods. In 2014 she was included in a Guardian newspaper feature headlined: ‘From Kate Bush to Syd Barrett: pop’s most elusive figures’. She was called one of the “great recluses”.

Her chart is fixed, water is not unduly low but mainly fire-earth – sadly, we don’t have her time of birth. The Mercury-Pluto conjunction is expressed in her need for control but also in her exploration of dark themes. Erik Davis in Spin once wrote of Bush:

Her songs explore melodramatic emotional and musical surrealism that defies easy categorisation. It has been observed that even her more joyous pieces are often tinged with traces of melancholy, and even the most sorrowful pieces have elements of vitality struggling against all that would oppress them.

A digression… The Sphinx of Giza

I mentioned earlier that Garbo was known as the Swedish Sphinx. In ordinary usage, the word ‘sphinx’ is often used to characterise a ‘puzzling or mysterious person.’ Farmer, for instance, is often described as ‘elusive’ and ‘enigmatic’. Poor dead Jacko was ‘wacko’. The monumental source of the word ‘sphinx’ is of course the Great Sphinx of Giza itself (and/or possibly other sphinxes besides). This is thought by many to be a representation of Leo and Virgo in its lion’s body (Leo - spirit) and human head (Virgo – human form); an idea suggested by, among others, the astronomer Sir Norman Lockyer in his 1894 book The Dawn of Astronomy. The Sphinx’s head could be that of the goddess Isis (Ancient Egypt’s deified partconception of modern Virgo). Bear in mind that in antiquity, the Leo/Virgo constellations were treated as one. 

Sir Norman Lockyer suggested that the image of a half lion, half woman aspect symbolised the junctions of the constellations Leo and Virgo which occurred at a summer solstice in the fourth millennium BC.
http://www.ancientwisdom.com/egyptsphinx.htm

Several writers, including the astronomer Sir Norman Lockyer, have suggested that the Sphinx is half lion, half virgin, and symbolizes the junction of the constellations Leo and Virgo
– David Pratt.

It seems more than coincidental – but also irrationally puzzling to me - that this Leo-Virgo Frankenstein monument finds a mirror in the Leo-Virgo horoscopes of modern celebrity ‘sphinxes’, such as Farmer, Garbo or Jackson. While the ancients could not have set out to construct a ‘mystery’, the union of Leo/Virgo – organic or mineral – appears to result in conundra in its most successful expression. The creation, purpose and even the gender of the Giza Sphinx to this day remain unresolved, shrouded in passionate claim and counterclaim.

Is a significant Leo-Virgo tenancy in a horoscope the horoscopic X-factor in all these major entertainers – these stars who factor an authentic inscrutability into their public or performance image, yet wow us with their highly-stylised theatricality? Are they the sphinxes of showbiz? 

Freddie Mercury

Let’s spot a few more examples. Remember, our selected celebrities must present us with impactive visual spectacle yet be notoriously ‘shy’ or secretive or publicly perplexing. 

Freddie Mercury? Most definitely. One the most celebrated of lead singers in rock history and blessed with a four-octave range. We don’t have birth time. Aside from the heavy emphasis on Libra, we see another Leo-Virgo focus with four planets in tenancy – and no water in this composition. All his stage flamboyance as rock band Queen’s lead vocalist yielded to a circumspect sensitivity once the limelight had set. 

On Wikipedia we find this description of his personality:

Although he cultivated a flamboyant stage personality, Mercury was shy and retiring when not performing, particularly around people he did not know well, and granted very few interviews. Mercury once said of himself: ‘When I'm performing I'm an extrovert, yet inside I'm a completely different man. While on stage, Mercury basked in the love from his audience; Kurt Cobain's suicide note mentions how he admired and envied the way Mercury ‘seemed to love, relish in the love and adoration from the crowd.’

Grace Jones

Taurus singer/model/actress Grace Jones?  Certainly. Her sculptural androgyny has inspired any number of other artists, from Lady Gaga to Andy Warhol. And sexual ambiguity partakes in a perceived free-spiritedness whose public face is aggressive and otherly. A Guardian profile labelled her a creature of the night, a ‘pensionable vampire’, in a mythical world of her creation called Graceland. Jones has three ‘heavy’ planets in Leo-Virgo – very little water; just Venus in Cancer. 

Prince

Singer/musician Prince? Yes. He once rivalled Michael Jackson and even outdid the King of Pop’s reclusiveness. Remember the time he was interviewed on TV and said nothing, just staring at his interviewer? 

Then there was his rebellion against his record company. He scrawled ‘Slave’ on his forehead and became known as ‘Squiggle’ – thanks to the logo he created which bears a resemblance to the Pluto Prince’s Leo-Virgo signs bestride the top of his Sun Gemini/Scorpio rising horoscope with mystifying but forceful Pluto (personalised) bang on his career point Midheaven bang on the Leo-Virgo cusp, missing Virgo by just two minutes. 

Such a close shave surely draws Virgo into a powerful conjunction affecting career and public perception. Uranus is in Leo along with pars fortuna.  Note also that the nodal axis in the 29th degree of Aries/Libra, supporting Pluto/MC by sextile and trine.

Theresa May

Not even her best friends would say she possesses mystique, but the one thing she has that is sphinx-like is inscrutability. This is a word that crops up over and over again in descriptions of her manner, behaviour and approach to work. If you type the words ‘Theresa May inscrutable’ in your Google search box, a long list of references pop up. The most popular phrase is “robotic, inscrutable manner”.

Her chart has the Leo-Virgo signature. But where is the visual impact that we need in a ‘sphinx’? For that we must look to her Venus in Leo, close to Pluto – and the one thing we can say of Mrs May is that she is a memorable dresser. Her clothes and jewellery often startle and excite comment – on the day she resigned she wore a startling coral suit with black shoes and a red stripe on each heel. Incidentally, this is not an example of trivialising a serious female politician by going on about her clothes. She herself uses style and apparel to make a statement about herself - as if an inner Liberace is struggling within the cocoon of stolid dutifulness and guardedness. 

The Faux-Sphinxes

Because we’re dealing with complex human beings and not robots or branded products, some people can appear to be something and who on closer inspection are different from what we assumed. Some traits can resemble others, while certain combinations of attributes create an incorrect impression.

David Bowie

We know as a master of image and visuals, and as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Because he incarnated different personas, such as Ziggy Stardust, and created highly original music, we tend to think of him as an enigmatic superstar. 

Yet on closer inspection of his interviews from the early 1970s up to close to his death, he was almost always most revealing of private thoughts and experiences. There was scarcely a subject he would not address. The enigma resided in his ability to evolve in spectacular vision, not in his hiding away. When he did withdraw from public it was usually because of health reasons – such as in his final years.

His chart has a fair Leo representation with Moon on his Descendant, reflective of his profound connection with the spirit of the times. Three other planets are located in another earth sign, not Virgo, but Capricorn in the 12th house. This has to do with structure, power, determination and of course a capacity to draw into the soul (12th): he once said he was “almost” an atheist. In reality, he was almost religious in his focus on spirituality and cosmic themes.

Andy Warhol

If ever there was a ‘sphinxy’ type it was Warhol. The weird persona, the white wigs askew, the gnomic and droll responses to interviewers’ questions: he certainly could be highly enigmatic in his dealings with the media.

Warhol was a leading exponent of pop art. Celebrity portraits were just photos touched up with paint, and he realized that everyday disposable consumer products could also be subjects of art. It was a kind trash ethic – one which he brought to photography and moviemaking.

His chart is leonine with no Virgo, but one planet in Cancer. Though he could be enigmatic and furtive and certainly wore an impenetrable mask to the media, on further study, one sees that he was not at all what he seemed. In actuality he was quite open. The Warhol Diaries are a vast revelation of celebrity gossip and personal insights about his love life – dictated over the phone in countless calls to one of his Factory aides. In many interviews he talked quite openly about his Catholicism, his beloved mother, his politics and many other things besides.

His persona was full of complexity – yet there was not that essential peek-a-boo of the sphinx.

He was dedicated to image-making and performance – on TV, in nightclubs like Studio 54 and at endless parties where he would try to flog celebrity portraits.

Anna Wintour and Yves St Laurent

The Leo-Virgo signature may also be found in the charts of those outside showbiz who combine high glitz with super-secretiveness. American Vogue editor Anna Wintour - who conceals her ‘ice queen’ Scorpio soul behind shades in a seminal life dedicated to image, fashion and beauty – has, like Garbo, three planets in Leo-Virgo, with Sun-personalised and veiling Pluto in out-there Leo. And introverted Yves St Laurent, one of the greatest names in fashion history, also had a wellpopulated Leo-Virgo chart (four planets plus pars fortuna). His Leo Sun is located in the 6th house – Virgo’s domain.
Whether she would agree with this is another matter. I suspect she would shrug her shoulders and just give a Mona Lisa smile. Sphinxes just can’t help making a mystery.

So, thank you for listening to my talk. This is a work-in-progress, there are many things to investigate and refine, especially the complicating addition of a pronounced Pluto or Scorpio in a nativity. 

Image sources:
Sphinx: 20100409_korinthos16.JPG: Jean Housenderivative work: JMCC1 [CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)] Mystical woman: Image by Stefan Keller from Pixabay Mylène Farmer: Clicsouris (CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0))
Greta Garbo: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (work for hire) (Public domain)
Michael Jackson: Constru-centro (CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0))
Madonna: MTV International (CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0))
Kevin Spacey: Pinguino k (CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0))
Mick Jagger: Olavi Kaskisuo / Lehtikuva (Public domain)
Kate Bush: Permission obtained from the creator here (https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/thehomegroundandkatebushnewsandinfoforum/non-copywrited-photo-needed-for-kate-s-wikipedia-a-t9239.html) (CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/))
Sphinx of Giza: MusikAnimal (CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0))
Freddie Mercury: Carl Lender (CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/))
Prince: Joel Bremer (CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0))
Theresa May: Kremlin.ru (CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0))
David Bowie 2002: Photographer: Photobra|Adam BielawskiDerivative work: Y2kcrazyjoker4 (CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0))
Andy Warhol: Jack Mitchell (CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0))

Published in: www.infinityastrologicalmagazine.com, Sep/Oct 2019.

Author:
Victor Olliver is the editor of The Astrological Journal, published by the Astrological Association. He is also media officer of the Association of Professional Astrologers International. Based in the UK, he trained to be a barrister before becoming a magazine feature writer, and then an editor on a number of publications including magazines, newspapers and electronic media. He has two awards from the Periodical Publishers’ Association for his celebrity and travel journalism. He graduated with a distinction diploma in natal and mundane astrology from the Mayo School in 2012. Victor is also the author of the annual Lifesurfing series of astrological forecasting books. Website: www.victorolliver.co.uk.

© 2019 - Victor Olliver - Infinity Astrological Magazine

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