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The
Door to His House of Spirituality Finally Opens
Back
in the early 70s, sensitive Cancer Cat Stevens didn't seem very different
from other sweet-voiced singer-songwriters of the time, like James Taylor
and Elton John. The fantastic music of that era, such as Stevens' classic
tunes "Wild World," "Father and Son" and "If You Want to Sing Out" (from
the cult movie Harold and Maude) has certainly stood up.
But,
the mellow mood of those post-hippie days certainly seems like an illusion
in retrospect. James Taylor battled drug addiction and Elton John went
on to become a glam rocker and fighter in the war against AIDS, while
Cat Stevens became a sometimes mocked, sometimes bitterly-hated religious
pariah to millions of his peace lovin' fans.
After
declaring himself a Muslim, changing his name and going underground throughout
the 80s and 90s, Cat Stevens has at last released a new record (mostly
old stuff with a couple of new tunes), The Very Best of Cat Stevens,
and is actually reaching out to his fans to promote it. Cat's chart reveals
a man of mystery and contradiction, but like a real feline, if we get
close enough without being too threatening, we can get some insights into
this most unique creature.
Being
Followed by a Moonshadow
Cat Stevens was born under the sign of Cancer, the soft crab with the
tough outer shell. Cancer is ruled by the Moon, and is often associated
with mother-like qualities. It is more traditionally "female" in its archetypal
form and prefers intimacy and emotional happiness to the outer trappings
of fame and success. Stevens’ Sun, which represents who he is in the world,
is in the Tenth House of career success. Certainly, Stevens proved himself
as a musician at a very young age. By his early 20s he was already rich
and famous, selling millions of records and being played on the radio
all the time.
Although
his Sun in the Tenth House may have laid the groundwork for his rise to
stardom, the sign Cancer is not at home in the Tenth House. Cancer is
naturally associated with the Fourth House (representing home and family),
which sits opposite the Tenth House. Nobody knows what Stevens was thinking
when he was singing soft-rock classics like "Moonshadow" and "Two Fine
People." Only he can say for sure, but his chart suggests that even then
he felt a resistance to the commercial aspects of fame, which would take
him away from the emotional parts of life that mattered to him.
The
Moon in his chart is actually placed in the house where it is most comfortable,
in the Fourth House. However, it is in the unconventional sign of Aquarius.
Whatever Stevens' idea of home and family is, it's going to be controversial—to
other people. To him, departure from being a mega pop star who can support
his family with revenue from his music might not be as important as following
a more non-traditional path (Aquarius is the sign of unconventionality).
Perhaps he felt it was better to follow his own integrity than to continue
on like a cog in a capitalist machine. Perhaps he believed he was nurturing
his fans/followers by showing them that spirituality was more important
than “silly love songs” (to quote another anthem of that era).
Public
Transformation
Still,
jumping back to his Tenth House of career, Stevens had a few lessons of
his own to learn—not just to teach. He has Pluto, the volatile planet
of self-transformation, also in the Tenth, in Leo, the sign of the naive
innocent, the performer and the drama queen !
Stevens
surely must have been shocked when his fans "turned" on him time and time
again for his religious convictions. (Most notably when he was publicly
vilified for saying Salman Rushdie should die for writing The Satanic
Verses (he later said he was quoted out of context). Pluto in
showy Leo in the very public Tenth House virtually guarantees that Stevens
would have to go through his intensely personal transformation in a very
public way.
Come
on The Peace Train: Libra Planets
Stevens
has a lot of strong Libra planets in his chart. Libra is the sign associated
with the search for balance and harmony. He has Libra rising, which gives
him the gentle appearance we saw in the 70s. He also has Neptune (often
a planet of creativity, illusion and confusion) in his First House of
self. Cat probably sees himself as a peace loving man, but the "shadow"
side of his nature is the opposite sign of Libra—Aries, ruled by Mars,
the warrior planet. With dreamy but sometimes confusing Neptune in his
First House, Cat probably doesn’t understand how others perceive him,
or he may have a difficult time projecting the image of himself he feels
is most true. It’s possible he doesn't realize why fans have been so offended
by his extreme behavior. He might see himself as extremely balanced.
Finally
the musician's Mars (action) is in Libra in his Twelfth House of spirituality.
If his "karma" is to fight spiritual battles that ultimately end in peace
(Libra), he's probably on the right train. Unfortunately, because his
Mercury (planet of communication) makes a square (challenging aspect)
to his peace-loving Libra planets, he's got to work a lot harder at communicating
who the real Cat Stevens is, and what he stands for.
The
first major solar eclipse in Cancer in quite some time just occurred on
July 1, 2000. It was conjunct Cat's Mercury (communcation) in Cancer at
the top of his chart (his relationship with the public) in his philosophical
Ninth House. Could it be that Cat's dogma days are over? This eclipse,
which signifies a new emotional cycle for Cat, combined with the fact
that lucky, open-minded Jupiter also began traveling through his Ninth
House this summer, bodes well for a kinder, gentler and clearer Cat. After
a dark period in his life, perhaps morning has broken at last for this
70s icon.
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