Editor's
note: Charles Schulz died unexpectedly just as this article
was being published, the night before the final appearance of
his comic strip, Peanuts. It seems that there was little separation
between the man's life and his work, both completed now.
The
strongest astrological factor associated with
his death appears to be the solar
eclipse of February 5. The close conjunction
of the Sun, Moon and Uranus (the unexpected) at
the time of the eclipse was on Schulz's birth
Mars and directly opposite his Nepune, the planet
of dreams and imagination. This combination is
ideal for someone to put his fantasies (Neptune)
into action (Mars) and gently point out the foibles
of human nature.
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Charles
Schulz, storyteller, artist and creator of the Peanuts
gang, has retired, but his indomitable Sagittarius spirit
and his Pisces sensitivity have taught us much about
life.
Charles
Schulz said recently, ”Everything I am is in that strip.”
With Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts Gang
as his voice, Schulz delved into the human experience
and gifted us with 50 years of uncomplicated philosophical
gems.
Born
on November 26, 1922, with both his Sun and Venus in
Sagittarius, he exemplifies the Sagittarius philosopher,
seeker and storyteller. Venus adds the important artistic
flair.
His
Pisces Moon bestows an uncharacteristic sensitivity
and vulnerability to the normally “tell it like it is”
Sagittarius inclinations, which translated into the
unique but simple social consciousness so often revealed
by his characters.
Sun
in Sagittarius: Expanding and Exploring New Horizons
With
the Sun (center of personality) in the sign of Sagittarius
(student of life), Schulz’ central purpose and joy of
living was in exploring and expanding his awareness
of the human experience (while having a good time doing
it). He endowed his Peanuts characters with his own
Sagittarian enthusiasm, confidence and humor. They became
Schulz’s alter egos—the eyes and voice for his Sagittarius
spirit.
Charlie
Brown, the lovable, inept, accident-prone blockhead,
was the butt of most jokes. There is always a little
rain falling on Charlie’s life. Through it all he remains
optimistic, never giving up in his quest to triumph
over adversity. As Charlie Brown lay in bed asking questions
of the void, Schulz sought true meaning in the hurdles
of everyday life.
With
Snoopy, the most famous and beloved of his cast, Schulz
revealed the supremely confident, extroverted and happy
aspect of his Sagittarius nature. Snoopy, the carefree
dancing soul, is blessed with the joy of life.
Lucy
allowed Schulz to express the sharper edges of Sagittarius.
She is loud, bossy and selfish. Her smiles and motives
are seldom pure. She is a “know-it-all” who dispenses
advice whether it’s wanted or not. Lucy sees her way
as the only way.
Linus,
the Bible-quoting intellectual who amazes his friends
with his philosophical revelations and solutions to
their problems, allowed Schulz to delve into his Sagittarius
spiritual leanings. Charlie Brown and Linus occasionally
poured over Bible verse, with Snoopy contributing the
silent afterthoughts that showed Schulz’s gentle irreverence
and spiritual curiosity.
Moon
in Pisces: The Need for a Gentle, More Peaceful World
Emotional
sensitivity is the keynote of a Pisces Moon. These are
peaceful, vulnerable individuals who must handle others
and be handled by others gently. The challenge of Schulz’s
life was to see it and tell it like it is (Sagittarius)
while remaining gentle, sympathetic, and allowing himself
to imagine and dream of how it could be (Pisces). In
order to work out this dichotomy, Schulz was unconsciously
forced to temper the expansive Sagittarius spirit of
his characters by allowing us to view their (his) soft
spots and dreams.
Schulz
revealed his Pisces soft spot most vividly in Charlie
Brown’s ongoing faith in the goodness of human nature.
We witness his vivid imagination and penchant for daydreaming
in Snoopy’s ability to become any hero he desired while
limited to the confines of a doghouse. Even Lucy, in
her unending but unrequited romantic love for Schroeder,
has a surprising vulnerability. Certainly, Linus, with
his Bible-quoting and intellectual understanding, reveals
the dichotomy of Schulz’s nature by his attachment to
his soft and cuddly security blanket and his unquestionable
belief in the magical Great Pumpkin.
Venus
in Sagittarius Retrograde: Re-evaluating Cultural Values
and Social Relationships
In
1968, Schulz caused a stir with some of his fans when
he integrated Peanuts by introducing Franklin, a boy
of color, as Charlie Brown’s new friend. Up until that
time he had been quite subtle, and his position in the
cultural mainstream had allowed him to question cultural
values without getting negative feedback. However, in
1968 there was nothing subtle about Franklin’s skin
color. Although to this day Schulz maintains that no
political statement was intended, it seems obvious that
his popularity and the continued presence of Franklin
would sway social consciousness.
Schulz
was born when Venus, the planet representing art, love,
values and relationships, was retrograde and conjunct
(fused with) his Sun in the cultural, literary and fun-loving
sign of Sagittarius. While this Sun-Venus conjunction
says that Schulz would have great difficulty separating
who he was (Sun) from his art form (Venus), Venus retrograde
tells the rest of the story.
When
any planet is retrograde (appears to be traveling backward
as viewed from Earth), the personality is continually
reassessing and reevaluating all of the stuff that that
planet represents. With Venus retrograde and conjunct
his Sun, it was natural that Schulz would use his art
form as the medium for an ongoing reassessment of his
own personal values and relationships. Adding Sagittarius
to the mix extended his reassessment to the larger world
of cultural values, beliefs and social relationships.
Using
a frame-by-frame focus on the small happenings of everyday life, Schulz
searched for meaning and reassessed his own personal values. Perhaps
unwittingly, he also stirred social consciousness and gently challenged
his fans to reassess their own values, beliefs and relationships.
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