Robin Williams Astrology Chart by Zoe Moon
I loved Robin Williams, he was a boundless force of creative energy when he was 'on' in front of others and he brought so much laughter to my life. He really portrayed larger than life characters and quirky humor that took us out of the dull, repeating groove of life and it just seems so senseless when we lose one of the good ones out there. My prayers are with him and his family and friends.
I was asked by so many of you to look at his chart, to try to make some sense of his passing from an astrological point of view, so I will give it my best but let me say this, when there is a tragic death, the pile-up of planetary energy in the chart is always present and challenging, activating a few key areas. Everyone will travel through a handful of these kind of personal configurations in a lifetime and most of the time we white-knuckle through it. Sometimes it's just too overwhelming and we surrender or find ourselves in that position of no return. Understanding the astrology is only valid if you are interested in understanding how to best work with energy for your own life. It is not about trying to give a purpose or meaning to another person's life, Robin did that all on his own. It can be helpful to understand the challenging aspects one is under in their chart and the finite parameters around it so you can see the light at the end of the tunnel or find the help you need if it is going to have duration. Astrology is not here to help anyone cheat death, we are all souls on a journey and our higher self knows when that journey needs to evolve, the higher power/God, helps us transition, we go when we are meant to go.
So, to the end of understanding how these energies work, here is what Robins chart shows us:
1) "The end of all matters" is found in the 4th house in a person's birth chart. Robin Williams 4th house was in Aquarius. We had the year's Full Moon in Aquarius the day before his death. Full Moon's bring a close to a situation. The combination would begin the story of Robin's passing, astrologically.
2) This Full Moon occurred at 18 degrees of Aquarius. Robin had Pluto, the planet of death and transformation, exactly opposing this in his birth chart at 18 degrees of Leo. This meant the climaxing Full Moon activated the reflection we see out there about ourselves through this opposition from powerful Pluto. New Moon's are when the Sun and Moon come together and start a journey together once a year in a sign. A Full Moon is when the Sun and Moon are opposing each other, signifying the zenith of the situation. So at this Full Moon at 18 degrees of Aquarius in Robins 'end of all matters' house, the Sun was opposite at 18 degrees of Leo, sitting exactly on top of his Pluto. The Sun represents our physical nature/body and ego drive, it was activating on an ending with death and transformation Pluto, exactly by degree.
3) Jupiter had just moved into Leo for the first time in 12 years to expand the energy field here for a year. That meant it had begun to resonate the field where his Pluto resided as well, making it all feel bigger. Jupiter is often present when someone crosses over as the planet of larger than life moments and faith. It seems to shepherd souls to the other side from my experience in looking at these kind of charts. It is just something to note.
4) Pluto where it is traveling around out there in the cosmos, not where it is positioned at the time of birth in Robin's natal chart, but now, is in the sign Capricorn. Pluto takes 240 years to arrive in a sign and then stays for several years. Where he moves we see upheaval and deconstructing of situations to rebirth them in new, transformed ways, hence, Pluto's association with death. Pluto obviously moves very, very slowly, so we experience his transits for 2-3 years when he activates a position in our birth chart. There are 3 times when Pluto will impact your life in its most severe testing, when it sits upon your natal planet, when it sits in square to it (90 degree angle) or when it sits opposite it. Since Pluto moves so slowly we need not fear too many of these trying transits but when you look at Robin's chart you see right away that he was under just such a configuration.
5) Robin was born with a Mars/Uranus conjunction, meaning that the two planets sit together, infusing each other, with Mars at 11 degrees, Uranus at 10 degrees, of the sign Cancer. With Mars considered the activator/motivator, and Uranus the energy of genius, shock, surprise, lightning, and sudden change, having Pluto come around for the first time in his life to oppose it would have put it under extreme duress. One could say that Robin's Mars/Uranus conjunction was one of the significators of his personal genius, his quirky and sporadic, rapid-fire approach to comedy, and when under pressure from the planetary energy of death and transformation, the kicker in pushing things over the top. Robin began to feel this transit directly back in January 2013 when Pluto first hit the 10th degree, activating both planets in opposition. Since Pluto is so slow, it triggered the beginning of the phase starting on January 20th, 2013 and staying on the 10th and 11th degree from that day through July 14th, 2013 thanks to its Retrograde motion taking it over those degrees and then backing it up for a second round. It was in his third and final round this year that he crossed over. Pluto re-entered the 10th and 11th degree on November 24th, 2013 through January 22nd, 2014. It then began its second Retrograde back over these degrees on July 16th, 2014 and will finally exit these degree pair on November 26th, 2014. Robin's Uranus is at 10:51 degrees, his Mars at 11:56 degrees in his birth chart. On the day he passed, Pluto was at 11.26 degrees, pretty much at the mid-point between his Mars/Uranus.
So, with Pluto's arrival back in 2008 in Capricorn, moving to oppose Robin's solar position at birth in Cancer for the first time in his life we could see that it would be between January 2013 and November 2014 when he would have the severe test to his physical reality, one way or the other. As you can see, just so far in what I've shared about what was going on in his chart, that it is typically an amassing of energies in tough and activating combination that pushes the soul through under tragic circumstances.
6) Robin's Mars/Uranus conjunction at birth sits in the 8th house of death and transformation. For everyone out there, Pluto is the ruling planet, Scorpio the ruling sign and the 8th house is the ruling house of death. So besides his ability to go deep, have a powerful and transformative influence on so many, in Robin's case, in the sign of Gemini which rules speech and the mind, when under the duress of Pluto and the culminating influences of the exact Full Moon we see it go even deeper, darker perhaps.
7) Everyone has a Rising sign, Robin's was Scorpio. Scorpio is ruled by Mars and Pluto. The Rising sign is the other half of who you are, your identity, image, brand, personality, etc. So what is going on with the Rising energy is important as well at a time like this. As already stated, Pluto had come to sit opposing Mars, activating his Mars/Uranus conjunction in the house of death and transformation so both rulers were engaged in this reflection and heavy trigger. It is also quite telling that Mars had just hit the 9th degree of Scorpio on the day he passed. Just a degree away from activating that birth Mars/Uranus position and at 9 degrees, exactly activating his birth Moon position.
8) The Moon for everyone rules our emotions and how the public responds to us and so Mars pushing this trigger in his chart was activating those feelings but there is more. Robin's Moon was the ruler of his sign, so it had rulership over his body as a Cancer, (Cancer's are ruled by the Moon). So the activating ruler of his Rising (Mars) was exactly aspecting the ruler of his body (the Moon) on this day, an event that happens approximately once every 2 years but never before with the other heavy hitters in attendance. Robin's Moon in his birth chart sits in the 4th house, 'the end of all matters', adding several layers to this Mars activation.
9) In 2012 Neptune entered Pisces, the sign it rules, for the first time since the mid-1800's. It immediately came within orb of Robin's Moon, the ruler of his emotions, public and body. Neptune, another slow moving energy, was now activating him in ways he had not experienced up to this point and slowly moving closer and closer to the degree of his Moon through the house of 'the end of all matters'. Neptune is inspired and imaginative behind many great art works and spiritual breakthroughs when in positive alignment but on a challenging aspect dredges up boundary issues, addictions, deception, feeling lost, depressed or sad, and activating subconscious tendencies. Neptune was just 2 plus degrees from Robin's Moon on August 11th and on that day the transiting Moon crossed over Neptune, driving emotions to a more intense level and activating his birth Moon. Neptune can feel as though you are in a fog and can't see your way out, perceptions can be altered, emotional and physical activations alongside this can add a lot to the equation.
11) Chiron is called the wounded healer. In my experience with working on charts of those who cross over Chiron is often found in what is called an inconjunct or semi-sextile to one of the primary energies involved in identifying the reason for death when it happens. The inconjunct seems more prevalent but I've seen both. An inconjunct is an adjustment aspect which forms with a 150 degree angle, a semi-sextile is a mini-opportunity that forms from the back side of this aspect in a 30 degree angle and again, involving a key planetary energy. This wounding energy of Chiron was exactly forming such a combination on the day Robin passed. Chiron takes around 52 years to show up to this position in the chart and at this moment was here on the 16th degree in the 4th house 'end of all matters', inconjuncting his birth Neptune at 16 degrees 150 degrees away, remember Neptune is the ruler of the foggy, sad, depressed, or boundary issue theme.
12) Saturn is called 'Father Time', the 'Great Taskmaster' and the 'Limiter'. He takes 29 years to go around your chart just once. Approximately every 2 and a half years he moves into another sign to test you , show you limits or 'no's' and push you to grow up and face the self-mastery he wants to impart to you. Astrologers have seen over many years of studying the effects of Saturn transits around the zodiac that it is the transit through the first house of 'I Am' that is the most challenging for people. During the 2 plus years it journey's through this house all parts of life seem a bit harder, bleaker, and we can feel like we are on a bit more unfamiliar ground. That is because when Saturn enters your first house you have closed a 29 year chapter of life and you are meant to hone in on just a few key, important topics for setting you on the course to this next round. Saturn in the first house will test all other houses but once it leaves this house and enters each succeeding house it only tests the issues of that specific house. So while in the first house it can seem like health, relationships, home, career, friends, etc, are all more work or testing in some way. Saturn arrived in Robin's first house on October 23rd, 2013 for the first time in 29 years and was still touring here at the time of his death. In July of this year (just a few weeks ago), Saturn ended a backwards phase in Retrograde and turned around on the 16th degree, the exact degree of his birth Neptune and in a semi-sextile! Remember how I said the inconjuncts and semi-sextiles show up to the important planet on the day of passing? Well, here is a completely different planet, one that takes 29 years to get here, now moving forward on that degree and to be exact had just completed the 16th degree on Sunday August 10th, not to return for another 29 years. So the semi-sextile to the planet of sadness, depression, addictions, and boundary issues was completed by the planet of Time and limits and endings in his first house of identity. Again, the amount of conspiring energies is overwhelming here.
13) Uranus was moving through the heavens in the sign of Aries when Robin passed. Uranus takes 84 years to get into a sign and then stays 7 years. He was at 16 degrees of Aries, exactly opposite Robins birth Neptune position at 16 degrees of Libra, on the day he passed. Uranus is that planet of shock and surprise and sudden events we didn't see coming. Uranus is the liberator, the awakener, the paint-outside-the-lines genius and the one who values freedom above all. Uranus is also the natural ruler of Aquarius and thus rules 'the end of all matters' in Robin's chart. Again, the mathematical probability that all of these slow moving planets would lock and load on the birth positions all at once is staggering.
14) Adding to the overview is Mercury, the planet of the mind and in charge in Robins chart of the 8th house of death and transformation, found himself at the 20th degree of Leo on the day Robin passed. Robin's birth Pluto is at 18 degree, his birth Mercury at 22 degrees so Mercury was sitting smack in the middle of this combination, putting the mind on decisions and death and transformation. Mercury at this point was also ending a yearly trip around the zodiac to his Mercury Return, when Mercury comes back to its original place at birth and winds down a mini-cycle of thinking and decision making.
15) Venus spent her last day in Cancer on Monday, August 11th. There are 2 benefics in astrology, planets that protect or bring bounty; Jupiter and Venus. Jupiter takes 12 years to show up in a sign and had shown up and spent a year in the sign of Cancer from July 2013- July 2014. Venus had come along at the end of that year (in July 2014), to extend another few weeks to the shield of protection going on in this area of life. Since this was Robin's sign and affected his body he would have felt that lifting of this energy. It would in no way be a significant contributor on its own but adds to the story. It is however, significant to note that his birth Neptune sits in Libra, a sign ruled by Venus, and therefore Venus is in charge of his Neptune (the only planet Venus rules in Robin's chart), and her exit from his sign would then give more weight to the shift in energy fields he was feeling and triggering of Neptune themes we see going off all over his chart.
16) The above list of conspiring transits, a word meaning the planets current passage over birth positions in the chart, is extensive and like I said at the top of this article, very rare occurrences in a person's life. There is always a major life lock in the progressed chart as well at the time of someone's crossing so the rest of what I will share with you comes from this chart. In a transiting chart like above I am drawing from those passing exact degree activations to birth positions from the current planetary positions. In a progressed chart I am looking at the same birth chart but instead of outer planetary action I am progressing those birth positions approximately one degree for every year the person is alive. When the progressed position makes an exact aspect we have predictive astrology. When the outer transits trigger it while the progressed year is happening, we have events.
Progressed Chart compiled on Astro.com
17) In Robin's progressed chart there are a few things that are major. First, the 'end of all matters' in Robins chart is ruled by the planet Uranus as I mentioned in the transiting part of this interpretation. We saw how much activation was occurring from the place Uranus is now and other energies aspecting it out there traveling now but what is Uranus doing in his progressed chart? At the time of Robin's death Uranus had progressed onto the 11th degree of Virgo. This is the only year in his life that Uranus will sit by progression on the degree of his birth Mars forming a sextile (opportunity aspect). In the scope of his life there could be 3 years when Mars would be triggered by progression, when it made its 30 degree aspect, 30 years later at the sextile that he was now under, and 30 years later at the square. So we see the ruler of 'the end of all matters' in the year of his life when it would trigger action taking Mars in his house of death and transformation. Since his birth Mars is part of that Mars/Uranus conjunction that I talked about above, one sitting at 10 degrees, the other at 11 degrees, Robin was actually in the midst of a 2 year activation as Uranus went from triggering its birth position of Uranus at 10 degrees last year and breaking loose what might be stuck, to its Mars position at 11 degrees where action takes place this year, back to back.
18) Venus had just progressed onto the 11th degree of Scorpio, again an event that would only see Venus gaining the 11th degree of a sign once every 30 years, 3 times in a lifetime if you are lucky. So Venus is in a major year for activating Robin's Mars at 11 degrees of Cancer. As said above, Venus ruled over one planet in Robin's chart and that was Neptune. Neptune is that planet of sadness, confusion, addiction, and boundary issues, it is the veil between worlds, the Karmic balance in our life, the unconscious force that drives us, etc. So Venus had just joined the amassing energy lining up with key players in this event.
19) Since Robin was born with the Karmic South Node on his Venus at birth, yes, his Karmic South Node had also just progressed to the 11th degree of Scorpio. This was one of 3 possible years in his life that the Karmic South Node (and the North Node of Destiny that travels opposite it) would be able to sit on the 11th degree and activate his action planet Mars in the house of death and transformation. The Nodes are portals between lifetimes, pointing to past energy and potential future manifestations.
20) Saturn was in a year of progressed degree at 28 degrees of Scorpio aligning to his birth Sun position of 28 degrees of Cancer. This made it a serious year of limits, endings, commitments, ambitions, or responsibilities, with Father Time activating who he was, his body, image, and personal needs, adding a somber or more 'get real' flavor to where he found himself.
21) Chiron was also in an activating year in his progressed chart. Chiron was progressed to the 28th degree of Aquarius. Here he sat in the house of 'the end of all matters' in the only year in his life when this energy of wounds and healing would inconjunct (yes that aspect that always shows up strongly at death), to his Sun in his birth chart at 28 degrees of Cancer.
I could go on, believe it or not, anyone who studies astrology is always blown away by the mathematical certainty of major events in our lives, how rare they are, how they tell a story, how they conspire to help us on our journey, whatever that may be at any given time. But I would like to stop at 21 major indicators. It is enough to see he had come to something major. Be clear, every human being is given Free Will, a gift from our creator, all of this could have conspired and he could have done something different about it all, making more of a figurative ending, killing off some part of himself, setting something Neptunian in motion that was a major illusion or artistic project with these themes, if he had been at a point in his life where he could spiritually handle it. We can see a glimpse into this profound artist's soul journey through astrology but we are not Robin Williams and his choices and direction are personal to him.
I know it sounds somewhat childish in the light of this event but on a personal level, I have to say that I always felt something kindred with Robin. I related to his outside-the-box persona, identifying with a fellow artist born on July 21st which is also my birthday, I would think it was me, Robin Williams and Hemingway. I always felt like I was in good company with their spirit and I feel blessed to have been around at a time when I could grow up experiencing Robin's characters and slant on life. He made me smile, he brought joy, he touched many. People born with a planet on the Karmic South Node come here this time around with a mission, to carry forward something that did not get its full voice to their liking in the past go-round. You don't see it that often, a planet plopped down on the Karmic South Node but Robin had it. For him it was about Venus in Virgo in the 10th house. Yes, as I say that I can see him going off on one of his tangents, acting out a skit of the game board 'Clue' with a lead pipe in the library and Mr. Boddy. But it is his Venus/South Node in Virgo in the 10th house that tells us how Robin had a calling before the public to carry forward with his work and that for him it was about love. I wish him well on his journey and I hope you find some of this helpful in understanding our natural cycles here while we are lucky enough to manifest on Earth.
Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved Zoe Moon Astrology
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