Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner is taking on a new project—a tell-all expose of his life as the head of the Playboy empire. While many tingle with nervous anticipation, Hugh quivers with visions of an enormous advance.

My, That’s Huge, Hugh!

Hugh Hefner (born April 9, 1926, at 4:20 pm in Chicago, Illinois), founder of Playboy magazine and the Playboy empire, announced recently that he’s looking for a publisher for his memoirs. Hefner promises to deliver gory details and scandal-producing history. He intends to collaborate with writer Bill Zehme (co-writer with Jay Leno and Regis Philbin), and is asking for an advance to rival the one received by GE head Jack Welch (seven million dollars), for his story. Apparently, when you take the quantity of Viagra Hefner claims to have consumed, size does matter.

For the Love of Women

Hefner, a Mars-driven Aries, displays a strong male-dominated attitude toward sexuality and a mantelpiece view of women. With natal Venus and Moon in Pisces, the two principle archetypes of the feminine, a fantasy-based illusion of women shadows Hefner’s psyche. And Pisces is projective, often encouraging others to wear its veil. Women follow submissively and compliantly with Hefner’s agenda. Hef guarantees that there will be a sense of purity (Sixth House) in their idealized magazine spreads that no competitive publication can offer. Women make a pilgrimage to the Hefner headquarters for their turn to uncover their fame. The women pose glamorously, implying so much more than could be said—typical of the Pisces mystique. Of course, Pisces rules illusion and deception, and could also be the source of the stream of rumors that Playboy airbrushes the centerfold negatives for an even more fantastical image of the subject.

Saturn in Scorpio in the Third House of communication in Hugh’s natal horoscope naturally broke rules and taboos in sexual publishing. Soon, Saturn returns to Taurus, opposing Hefner’s natal Saturn. Conceivably, concerned parties might seek some sort of injunction against Hefner’s book and its possible breech of confidence, trust and privacy. Can people file such injunctions anonymously? Next January, Saturn peeks back into Hef’s Eighth House one more time. This movement might raise issues about the secrecy long associated with Scorpio matters—like the privacy of one’s sex life. Is Hef breaking the rules? Or does he have his own reasons?

The Plot Behind the Pen

Hef’s reasons for creating his empire dangle from the sleeve of his satin smoking jacket. He possesses testosterone-rich Mars (the ruler of his male-dominated Aries Sun sign) and fun-loving, party-seeking Jupiter in freedom-craving, sans-commitment Aquarius. Add the influence of the romance-inspired, fevered pitch of the romantic Fifth House, and his career choice becomes apparent. But let us recall that Aquarius planets, especially Jupiter, can also become politically motivated.

Almost exactly at the time of Hefner’s announcement of this publishing action, the lunar nodes returned to the location of Hefner’s natal nodes. The nodes are associated with people influencing one’s life at the time of transit and the karma of current events. This alignment suggests Hef has an underlying motivation, perhaps to establish the accountability of one or more previous participants at the Playboy mansion. A possible political undercurrent scents the fragrance-ridden air.

Possible Challenges

An intriguing transit stands about to happen in Hefner’s chart. Pluto, lord of uninhibited sexuality, the underworld and unseen motivations, will soon form a square from its track in Sagittarius to Hefner’s Moon in Pisces. Pisces can unwittingly set itself up to be a victim, underdog or martyred saint. Throughout 2001, this challenging transit operates in Hefner’s house of work, the Sixth House. Surely, someone will contest his efforts in one way or another. Possibly the challenge may come as an emotional squeeze. Because this is a transit of secretive Pluto, outsiders may never know what pressures are placed on Hef. But should he pull the plug on this recently announced publishing plan, we could surmise that Pluto laid out an irresistible plot of retaliation.

Regardless, Pluto dominates the top of Hefner’s chart natally. His life was destined to change the world, and it did. Under the auspices of a Cancer (which rules breasts) country (the U.S.), Hefner launched a Plutonian reformation of sexuality. Given Hef’s natal centaur Chiron frolicking in his naturally sexy Eighth House, a critical question surfaces. Were his efforts to change society those of a healer seeking to resolve deep shadow issues of a latent sexuality? Or was he the healer who wounded by propagating negative sexual images?

One thing's for sure, there’s more to be uncovered.