Today we are going deep into the astrological makings of a very complex man. Ladies and gentleman, I give you Howard Hughes!
The first thing that really draws my eye into his chart is that Mercury at the very bottom of the chart. It is in Virgo (the ever over-analyzing, perfecting and exacting scrutinizer) and it is under some serious pressure.
Howard Hughes seems to have acquired the brunt of his OCD from his mother, who used to scrub him clean all through his childhood and teach him to be afraid of germs.
His Mercury is found at the bottom of the chart right on the 4th house cusp. This is the place in the chart that is associated with the Mother and early childhood (because it is the house that is connected to the sign of Cancer).
Mercury is the planet associated with our thinking. It is always listening and responding to our environment (like DNA!)
Hughes Mercury (thinking) is under pressure from both Mars and Pluto via the square aspect (an aspect of 90 degrees). So let’s meet the personal “bullies” of Hughes’ mind!
Mars is energy! It is motivation and stress. The stuff that propels life along. Hughe’s Mars is located in the 7th house of relationships. It’s a common know fact that Hughes did “go (very) big” in the dating field.
Hughes was infamously entangled with a bevy of beautiful starlets. The glitz and glamour would satisfy his Venus in Leo as well as his Moon in Leo. Venus for a man will point to something he is drawn to in a woman. The Moon points to an emotional hunger that we yearn to satiate. This is also connected to the mother and early life.
It’s interesting to think of all of that OCD doting that his mother did for him was still a form of constant attention. Hughes was known to be a hypochondriac in childhood to secure the constant attention of his parents, both of whom died within his later teenage years. Hughes went to court and bought out the rest of the family for the inheritance and became a billionaire.
Ok, so back to the pressure on his Virgoan mind.
Let’s meet the next “bully”, the ever secretly-up-to-something Pluto. And as a side note, these “bullies” are not inherently bad, they are just motivators. The aspect of the square suggests that it’s a bit more challenging for Hughes.
Pluto motivates in a very hidden way. In Gemini this may take the form of always seeking mental stimulus, and variety of thought. It lies opposite of the Mars in the 7th house of relationships so we can expect to find a lot of variety there too (and there sure was!).
Pluto is like a rabbit hole. It’s job is to constantly renew us and purify us through emotional purging. Hughes’ rabbit hole was so very mental, so full of variety and choices. For a mind that is suited towards precision and order (Mercury in Virgo) this influx of variety might have been a bit overwhelming.
It would have been nice to see Hughes’ Virgo mind take the Virgoan modest approach to these heavy-weight bullies. To humbly (Virgo) take things in stride and be aware of his own tendency to over-worry (Virgo pitfall). We can bring so much peace back to our psyches with a bit of awareness. This is the department where the horoscope truly shines as a tool. It serves us to give ourselves a break and be on the lookout for unhealthy habits!
Until next time!
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