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.