Astro-Portrait: Jean Harlow (plus, a film clip singing w Cary Grant!)

Link: a trailer for Saratoga starring Jean Harlow and Clark Gable (1937). Apologies that the film clip with Cary Grant has been removed (sorry!) but on Blogger a post's title cannot be changed...or else!

Also note that this post is being updated June 7, 2018, the 81st anniversary of the death of the luminous Jean Harlow of renal failure, age 26. Saturn Return time? Yes. But tragically, the lady deserved better.

An Astro-Portrait of Jean Harlow

by Jude Cowell

If you wish, read a brief bio and view the natal horoscope of Jean Harlow who was born on March 3, 1911 at 7:40 pm CST in Kansas City, Missouri; Rodden Rating: AA (BC in hand); Hour of the Sun. Naturally March 3rd identifies The Blonde Bombshell as having Sun in Watery Pisces, the imaginative sign of creativity and compassion, ruled traditionally by expansive thespian Jupiter and sub-ruled by the glamorous planet of acting, illusion, and the Silver Screen, Neptune, seen here in her 10th house of Career:

Now since her birth data is accurate we know that Harlow's natal Moon is in Aries ruled by pushy Mars which gives her a Sun Pisces-Moon Aries personality combination of Water and Fire...steamy! Although Jean Harlow, nee Harleen Carpenter, was active in films for only 10 years (1928 --1937) she made 36 movies! At age 18, a major career break came in 1930 when Howard Hughes cast Jean in the role of the "sexy, voluptuous blond" in Hell's Angels, a war film. Hmm...apparently Howard Hughes played the role in Jean's natal chart and life of wealthy Pluto conjunct Cupido! (see her goddess asteroids, below.)

Her Pisces Sun in the Virgo-Pisces Victim-Savior Axis

As mentioned, her Sun (vitality) is in Pisces which is also the sign of contagion, infection, and illness. Harlow suffered serious illnesses in her childhood such as meningitis age 5 and scarlet fever age 15. She left home at 16 to marry and get away from a home situation: a 'gangster' stepdad and an overbearing mother (see the top of her chart with Neptune and Pluto, an underworld crime/occult pair of energies). Soon the young couple moved to Beverly Hills, California. However, an abusive husband victimized Jean so badly that it caused internal injuries which was not properly treated at the time and which weakened her later on. Jean Harlow tragically died at age 26 of cerebral edema and uremia on June 7, 1937 in Los Angeles.

Her Planetary Patterns: a YOD, T-Square, and Grand Trine

To an astrologer, the 26th year suggests an early response to her Saturn Return (a 28 to 30 year cycle) which can be difficult for health matters if there are medical conditions from the past that can come back to haunt. Unfortunately, this was the case for the lovely and popular Jean Harlow though her date of death on June 7, 1937 (hour unknown) shows transit Saturn @3Ari52--conjunct natal Venus on her Descendant and transit Venus @2Tau51 conjunct natal Saturn in the 8th house of Death. And Ebertin gives the Venus-Saturn pair as a potential for "kidney disease." It isn't unusual to see a double transit of this nature at the time of death and in this case, Venus is Harlow's chart-ruler (Libra rising), restrictive Saturn is on an angle (Descendant), natal Saturn is in natal 8th house, and there is a health pattern formed at birth--a crisis-ridden YOD configuration (highlighted in red and listed, lower right) pointing to her Ascendant, the Physical Body. The YOD and other chart factors such as Jupiter conjunct South Node suggest that Jean inherited physical weaknesses, plus, Chiron (the wound; the weak spot) sextiles (60 degrees) Saturn (the earthly father) which forms the base of the YOD pattern. Both Jupiter and Saturn are references to Dad and his DNA.

You note the Water Grand Trine (highlighted in blue) between her Sun, Jupiter, and Neptune which is a protective pattern, a closed circuit of energies making her hard to get to know on a personal level. In Water signs (Cancer-Scorpio-Pisces) a need for protection from threat and harm and her psychic sensitivity are emphasized. This pattern denotes an escapist who tends to withdraw from the world in order to dream but also shows great creativity and a talent for sensing underground currents and trends within the Collective.

Jean's Midpoint Pictures

Now there are some natal midpoint pictures containing potentials for health problems as well: Mars-Saturn (the 'death axis') = Sun: weak vitality; inability to master all situations; death; a T-Square pattern of Mars-Neptune (infection) = Moon (also indicative of the physical body; Mars opposing Neptune strains her Moon): illness; infection; crooks. Her two other midpoint pictures are on the romantic and creative side:

Venus-Mars = Mercury: thoughts of love; actors, writers: thinking of marriage and progeny (she wanted to have a baby!) and Mercury-North Node = Venus: an art association; a love relationship (R. Ebertin.) With midpoint pictures we can say that whenever Jean's natal Sun, Moon, Mercury, or Venus were or are activated by transit or progression, these midpoint pictures--two health related, two romance related--are or were triggered as well.

An indicator of urinary disease or weakness that is aggravated is marked upon the chart--her Moon conjunct asteroid Bacchus whose mythology denotes overuse of alcohol and/or other drugs which affected her physically (Moon), plus, her Moon is ruled by Mars (Aries), a planet associated with infections, fevers, and surgical tools--the ones she didn't have a chance to profit by, thanks to her odd and overbearing mother (Moon in Aries), the legend goes. Mother became a religious fanatic which also is indicated by Bacchus conjunct the Moon.

Yes, the story of Jean Harlow is tragic yet I didn't know how to write this tribute without mentioning the Astrology of her brief life and death so please pardon if this isn't what you expected. Now let's list her glamorous and romantic goddess asteroids before we close:

Urania rising; Juno (the wife) in 1st house opposing natal Moon and Bacchus; glamorous Neptune and goddess star Sirius in 10th house of Career and Public Status; Cupido (romantic cupid but also corporations and The Syndicate) conjunct powerful Pluto in 9th house near her MC; Sappho (sexual relationships) in 9th h but conjunct a difficult star, Alcyone of the Pleiades (something to cry about); Vesta (the vestal virgin) in 8th h with her North Node (NN = public contact); erotic Eros and Pallas (the daughter) in 6th h of Health, Work, and Service; Amor (intimacy) just barely in 4th h of Home and Domestic Scene but influencing her 5th h of Romance and Creative Pursuits.

You must agree that The Blonde Bombshell was a very glamorous star of the Silver Screen but sadly was born with poor health, victimized in her private life by people who should've protected her, and in the end did not possess the stamina (Pisces Sun weak in the 6th house of Health) to enjoy the popularity and success that she achieved during her brief 26 years on Earth.

For more info on Jean Harlow be sure to visit Jean Harlow, her official website.

~:~

Now here's an astro-portrait of the dapper Mr. Cary Grant in case you missed it!