Astrology and News
Piscean of the week: Pete Doherty, anti-darling of the tabloid press
I was recently asked, by Sue from Leeds, about the inherent psychic powers of the sign Pisces. In general it’s true that Pisceans are sensitive, and some of them might even be telepathic. However historical factors have caused Pisces to be misrepresented. To be more specific, in 1846 the planet Neptune was discovered, and it wasn’t long before Western astrologers started associating Pisces with this planet - its traditional ruler, Jupiter, being de-emphasised. Neptune is the God of the Sea, and the sign Pisces has gained a reputation for being chaotic and unreliable, not to mention being a sucker for the latest new age crazes - channelling, crystal healing, past life regression, you name it.
Yet the basic rules of astrology were in place by the Second Century of the Christian era, and prior to 1846 there was never any doubt that Jupiter was the ruler of Pisces. While it’s true that Pisces has an affinity with water, this is very simply because it’s a Water sign, with the Fish as its symbol.
Jupiter is the planet of expansion, that likes to go beyond its normal boundaries. It’s also the planet of excess - being inclined to take things too far, and not knowing when to stop. Also, Jupiter has strong beliefs, that it’s not prepared to compromise. These beliefs can be honourable and humanitarian, they can also be divisive, destructive and vicious.
There are two signs that are ruled by Jupiter - aside from Pisces there’s Sagittarius. Sagittarius perhaps represents the ‘active’ side of Jupiter. Tending to make one’s own decisions, creating one’s own philosophy, deciding what areas one wants to expand into. Pisces, on the other hand, is more like a rocket going through deep space. It doesn’t need any fuel, instead it keeps going, according to the laws of physics. And sometimes the only thing that can stop it is a collision with a hard object.
The musician Pete Doherty, of Babyshambles fame, is a Pisces. And this week he was sentenced to fourteen weeks in prison, for breaking a probation order - he has had, by the way, a number of drug-related run-ins with the law. Not surprisingly Pete Doherty is an anti-darling of the tabloid press, his supposedly scandalous lifestyle being the stuff of their dreams.
It’s tempting to regard Pete Doherty as an illustration of why Neptune rules Pisces. But as I’ve said, Jupiter is the planet of excess, and it wants to reach beyond the bounds of everyday reality. Pete Doherty is, by all accounts, highly intelligent, as well as being well-grounded in poetry and literature. He probably has a distinct philosophy on life, that maybe isn’t apparent to the tabloid commentators. Also, he doesn’t seem to have much respect for certain aspects of the law - not only is he hauled before the courts, but he appears to disregard some of their orders.
Looking at Pete Doherty’s horoscope, set for March 12 1979, and there’s some cause for concern. He was born just before a Full Moon, his Moon being in Virgo. And on the date of his birth Mars in Pisces was making an opposition aspect to Saturn in Virgo. We therefore have a big astrological conflict between the opposing signs of Virgo and Pisces. Also, his Sun in Pisces is making a stressful, 90 degree aspect to Neptune, a planet that has drugs as one of its associations.
Pete Doherty has passed his twenty-nineth birthday and is now entering his Saturn Return, when the planet Saturn returns to the place it was when he was born. While Saturn Returns can be stressful for all of us, he has to be particularly careful, because his Saturn is so closely linked to Mars.
Astrologer Reinhold Ebertin, in his book The Combination of Stellar Influences, described the principle of Mars and Saturn as follows:
Harmful or destructive energy, inhibited or destroyed vitality.
The negative potential of the Mars-Saturn combination in Pete Doherty’s horoscope will perhaps always exist - though that doesn’t mean the negativity will definitely manifest. However when the combination is activated by Saturn, in July, August and September of 2008, the potential for harm will be at its maximum.
But I must emphasise that I’m not predicting that anything bad will happen. I’m just saying that from an astrological perspective, this a dangerous time, when caution is required. And it might be that any negativity will be experienced subjectively, in terms of thoughts and feelings, instead of through actual events. Still, if I was advising Pete Doherty I would recommend that for the rest of 2008, and for most of 2009, he plans a quiet life, and he that he finds constructive ways of releasing his energy. Martial arts might be a good idea, or he might consider doing a lot of drumming - because drumming has a special association with the Mars-Saturn combination. Also, when he gets out of prison he should consider living somewhere isolated, away from the bright lights, that’s by the sea, or close to a river or lake.
I hope Pete Doherty will reach these conclusions by himself, because he doesn’t strike me as being the kind of person who consults astrologers.