Jul 5: Cecil Rhodes & Olga Wormser

[Jim Eshelman]

Rhodes, Cecil. July 5, 1853, 7:30 PM GMT, Bishop's Stortford, England (B).
Wormser, Olga. July 5, 1912, 3:00 PM GMT, Nancy, France (AA).


Notice that Cecil Rhodes has Pluto 0°26' from IC, as well as a New Moon near Descendant in mundane square with Uranus.

[Jim Eshelman]

Rhodes, Cecil. July 5, 1853, 7:30 PM GMT, Bishop's Stortford, England (B).

Cecil Rhodes was one of the most gigantic figures in modern history, with important impact reaching deep into the 21st century. In brief, he was most importantly a committed British imperialist who moved to South Africa in his youth to mine diamonds and came to personally dominate the world's diamond trade. He was Prime Minister of England's Cape Colony in the 1890s. Born in modest circumstances, he became one of the richest men in the world. Negatively, he was a primary embodiment of White imperialism that fostered (or even created) a century of horrors in South Africa by stealing land from Black ownership and depriving Blacks of the right to vote.

The nation of Rhodesia was named after him (only recently renamed Zimbabwe and Zambia). His will established the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. His diamond company, De Beers, still thrives today.

He was a sick, weak child (asthmatic), leading his parents to send him to South Africa at age 17 (better health conditions). With financial backing, he started buying and consolidating diamond mines - obviously he was a business genius - until he controlled nearly all of the world's diamond market. His political career ended badly, which took a toll on him. He died of heart failure at age 48.

Most likely, his success also came from enormous hard work. At Kimberley, South Africa, where he centered his operation and made his fortune, he has Mars and Saturn each 5° either side of IC. These did not prove malefic influence for him. In fact, the traditional link of IC to mining (and buried treasures in general) is intriguing.

[Jim Eshelman]

Rhodes was born with Pluto 0°26' from IC, as well as a New Moon near Descendant in mundane square with Uranus. This makes for an extraordinary chart that could not have been properly understood by earlier generations of astrologers.

Yet it was always visibly a strong chart - which turns out to have been true with what he did with his life, even if never true of his health. The least an astrologer in earlier generations would have seen is that he was born at a New Moon near an angle. This makes for a powerful figure. (The aspect is closer in mundo - only 2° wide - but the ecliptical 7° orb would have been entirely acceptable to most 19th and 20th century British astrologers.)

What surprises me about the chart - the place where it isn't immediately obvious how it fits - is that his entire story is a stream of Sagittarian traits, behaviors, and priorities, yet both his luminaries are in Gemini. He did have Sagittarius rising, though (which, as all of you know, I give almost no priority) - perhaps that is a bigger deal in his story, because it truly sounds like a Sagittarian story. I would have expected a double Gemini to be a better example of anti-Sagittarian themes, so I think this is a significant consideration. I do think his enormous personal power needs were at the root of much of this.

So, let's break down the chart. What are the strongest factors?

** Sun and Moon are both in Gemini, conjoined.
** Pluto is 0°26' past IC, Uranus 7°41' before IC, Moon 4°04' above Dsc, Sun 6°19' above Dsc. Mercury is 1°53' from WP-a.
** At birthplace, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are background. When he moved to South Africa, this changed.
** Sun trines Neptune 0°02'. Sun conjoins Moon 2°15' mundo, in the foreground, with both square foreground Uranus (especially Sun).

It's a very Sun-driven chart. Overall, we would expect an extraordinary, exceptional person from this chart (as indeed he was). I don't know that we could have anticipated in which way he would be exceptional, except that he likely would rise to great power and stand out as a rare, distinguished exception against the landscape of history.

Pluto and Uranus conjunct IC is appropriate for someone whose story starts when he left his homeland far behind (and may also link to the mining theme). Gemini luminaries and angular Mercury (which squares Pluto) show his business sense.

One could likely dig out much from that 0°02' Sun-Neptune trine, given a more intimate biography than I've summarized above. (Both sextiled Uranus, which makes Sun-Uranus-Neptune the full pattern.) It likely contributed to his genius. I think it also intensified his inborn British sense of exclusiveness, feeding his convictions that his racism was reasonable. (It generally would have been thought so by most British men of his time.) I wonder if perhaps it also gave a subtle perception, a psychism, that aided his seemingly supernatural business instinct.

But a 0°02' Sun-Neptune trine is also the only clear indication of his frailty - especially asthmatic frailty - of his youth. With Sun conjunct Moon on an angle, the chart is otherwise one of strong vitality and endurance (which he eventually showed). I think this Neptune must be regarded as a malefic affliction to an otherwise strong promise of health. And yet that Sun-Uranus-Neptune trio (which can also be organized into a couple of interesting midpoint structures) was another mark of his exceptionalism.

In closing, few notes for those who might be interested in investigating the fixed stars. (I still have very mixed feelings and thoughts about them, though I've mostly given up on thinking they are important in longitude.) The classics would have suggested a chart of this stellar, diamond-studded magnitude of a man should find brilliant stars set in its crown. These aren't there as loudly as one might want. He does have one strong ecliptical connection: His Sun is 0°41' from conjunct Canopus, the second brightest star in the night sky. This might indeed be important since it as a bright white star, as close to a diamond as you will find in the sky except for Sirius. Canopus, the brightest star in Argo, would have been an important theme for one who sailed far from home and, as a far southern star, would, perhaps have become more important once he settled in South Africa.

Another star consideration is that Mars, which has a relatively minor role in his nativity overall, is 0°48' from conjunct Aldebaran ecliptically (and only 0°04' from conjunct it in RA), classically considered a martial star (though I think it more related to wisdom). In any case, if these stars have value then this conjunction with a Royal Star would be quite important.

A few stars to mention where the connection is by paran (in addition to Mars-Aldebaran): His Moon opposed Vega in RA. This is a star attributed to Venus and especially the arts. It is the brightest star in the northern sky and would be thought quite benefic and helpful, even credited by Ebertin with paving the way to riches and fame. Some would credit that Moon is paran Regulus (Moon rises when Regulus is on IC), given further "royalty" to the mix.

If the birth time is just slightly later (a few minutes), he would have the Galactic Center rising.

But I think none of this is really needed. The chart speaks fluently without the fixed stars. (Though the ecliptical conjunction of Sun with Canopus is pretty dead-on in describing him.

[Jim Eshelman]

Wormser, Olga. July 5, 1912, 3:00 PM GMT, Nancy, France (AA).

Olga Wormser was a French historian specializing in World War II deportations. Among other work, she curated the Resistance, Liberation, Deportation exhibition in Paris in 1954.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_and_Fog_(1956_film)
She argued that "the concentration camps [were] a systematic microcosm of the Germany war economy," according to the Wikipedia summary.

Breaking the chart down, we can isolate the following major themes:

** Sun in Gemini (0°09' from conjunct Venus), Moon in Pisces
** Jupiter 0°30' from EP-a.
** Moon in Pisces closely square Pluto.
** Mercury closely opposite Uranus (background but highlighted by Moon aspects).
** A packed 8th house including Sun, Venus, Neptune, and Pluto.

Unfortunately, I know little about her. Her consulting role in the film Night and Fog (discussed in the article above) is on IMDB. Several links to copies of her book on Catherine II can be found online. Here is probably the most interesting reference of her writing I can find - somebody else's work, but disclosing themes of Wormser's work:
https://www.jewishgen.org/ForgottenCamp ... ayEng.html

I find the chart totally consistent with that of a scholar and researcher. The Gemini-Pisces luminaries might be flightier than I think for that, but show someone with broad interests and curiosity with perhaps a penchant for drama and imagination as a tool of telling. The chart portrays a charming, gracious, lovely person - I have no information on whether she was, but that exact Sun-Venus in Gemini with Jupiter exactly angular and a Pisces Moon proclaims it.

But Mercury-Uranus - a strong feature of the chart, though background - shows curiosity, discovery, finding her own intellectual path through a subject (an original and independent thinker). If houses are to be considered, the strong 8th house emphasis seems to mark someone who dives in deep to uncover, and relates especially to the economic and death themes with which she seems to have worked most.

I should mention that her Sun, like Rhodes' Sun discussed immediately above, is in ecliptical conjunction with Canopus (0°24'). And yet, while it seemed to symbolically descriptive of him, I don't know that any of the things I cited for it pertain to Wormser at all. (They might. But they aren't primary themes of anything I know about her.) As far as stars parans, they also talk to things I can't confirm, e.g., her Moon rose with Sheratan, the Beta star in Aries. I suppose this links to her having an interest in the history of the recent war, but most people at the time were totally absorbed by that. I don't know, for example, whether her temperament was more bellicose than we might expect from a Pisces Moon.

It's more on target that her Mercury - her research and writing - set with Pollux, another martial star (and also set with Praesaepe - perhaps indeed referring to the holocaust since the Chinese called it "piled up corpses"). I should mention that her Saturn set with Sirius (0°04').

Again, these don't seem that important to me. Overall, I see this chart as that of a curious, ingenious woman, easily bored unless continually stimulated, who liked to dive in and learn about fascinating stuff.