An Astro-Tribute to the Legendary Buster Keaton

Buster Keaton WWI 1918; Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

March 16, 2022

by Jude Cowell

In our era it's somewhat difficult to credit the past career and stellar popularity of an actor, producer, and writer like Buster Keaton, a man whose physical comedy, amazing stunt work, and basset-hound facial expressions remain easily recognized. Keaton's pioneering career in Hollywood is graced by an impressive, extensive Filmography if you care for a peek.

And you may wish to check out the natal horoscope of Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (RR: A via his Dad: 'born between acts of his parents' medicine show'!) where you'll find his seriously minded, deep-thinking Mercury-Saturn conjunction squared by jolly Jupiter in dramatic Leo, a cosmic signature of his style of comedy - or perhaps tragi-comedy style is more the case. Recommended is a YouTube video (5M 12S) of Some of Buster Keaton's Most Amazing Stunts. Or, fast forward to his September 1, 1957 appearance on What's My Line? (including comic Ernie Kovacs), if you wish. That evening, transit Pluto @00Virgo, planet of power, was conjunct Buster Keaton's natal Ascendant as was the transiting Mercury-Uranus midpoint! This suggests enhanced creative ability and a sense of recklessness - perhaps a reference to his years of celluloid stunt work that looked - still look - dangerous and painful. However, this was Keaton's "line" of work, and that evening a beneficial trine from North Node in Scorpio to his natal North Node in Pisces provided him with the opportunity for a major contact with the public on what then was a very popular TV show.

A Hollywood Legend's 'live-wire' Air-Fire Sun Libra-Moon Aries

Now allow me say this: until a few minutes ago I was unaware that today's position of the North Node of public contact @24Tau14 points directly toward, of all things, the natal Midheaven (@24Tau37, the Career Point of Public Standing) of Buster Keaton but apparently this post might in a very small way fulfill a karmic imperative of public contact with his career. Naturally, Mr. Keaton is no longer around to benefit specifically, but there it is!

As for Mr. Keaton's conscious (Sun) - unconscious (Moon) blend across the Libra-Aries axis of relationships (married thrice!), it's under the influence of the Venus-Mars duo, and admittedly as a child, I always thought the actor was a handsome fellow. His astounding physicality and energy may be seen through his risk-taking Sun-Mars conjunction in Libra, yet with wounded Chiron nearby.

(For more personality details see Sun Sign-Moon Sign, Charles and Suzi Harvey #ad.)

Meanwhile, a natal YOD of crisis-special-task-turning-point-spiritual-opportunity implications may be read as a midpoint picture: Moon-Neptune = Uranus (in brooding, dark, attractive Scorpio along with a bottomless pit of creative, novel ideas) suggesting potentials for emotional unpredictability (three marriages?) and an impulsive nature. Add these energies to his risk-taking Sun-Mars duo, plus his thespian planet Jupiter in entertaining Leo, and we find a legendary Hollywood actor whose pioneering performances and stunts remain awesome, even energizing, to watch - yet as a maternal type myself, this caution must be added: Please don't try this at home!

R.I.P. Buster Keaton: October 4, 1895 Piqua, Kansas - February 1, 1966 of lung cancer.

~:~

UPDATE March 16, 2022: just a note that it occurred to me to check geni dot com to see if Buster Keaton and I are connected and it turns out that we have an in-law connection: we're 17th cousins once removed. Tracing his Keaton line back on the geni site, the earliest of his ancestors I could find was Zachariah Keaton, born circa 1682, died circa 1743, both in Pasquotank County, North Carolina. Also, I left out of the above post the descriptive factoid that Buster Keaton was often called, "The Great Stone Face," and if we look to his natal chart for "30 Pisces" which has this Sabian Symbol attached, we find not a planet but a midpoint of Moon-North-Node = 'contact with the public' along with a link to major publicity, possible spiritual unions, and, biologically, the immune system. jc #

Ready for Her Astro-Close-Up: Miss Gloria Swanson

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:For_better,_for_worse_-_Gloria_Swanson.jpg; For Better, For Worse; Paramount Pictures (1919)

As we see in the natal horoscope of Gloria Swanson, a Sun Aries-Moon Libra personality blend with its passionate Venus-Mars vibes describes a woman for whom relationships, attraction, and desire were all-important. Her publicity-seeking Moon in lovely Venus-ruled Libra conjoined her Midheaven, the most visible point of aspiration in any horoscope, aka, the Career and Public Status Point. Plus, there's another love indicator for asteroid Cupido (Cupid's 'cousin'!) rises with her Ascendant @20Sag14 and can also represent creativity and The Arts.

Yet nowadays most people only know Gloria Swanson for her "stunning" 1949 comeback at age 50 (and still beautiful!) in the film Sunset Boulevard but for years previously she had been a popular, top-paid actress in the early days of Hollywood, beginning her film career in silent movies at age 14.

Born in Chicago, Illinois on March 27, 1899 @12:20 am CST (RR: A, from memory) as Gloria May Josephine Svensson, Gloria Swanson originally studied opera having a beautiful singing voice but soon became enticed by the burgeoning film industry.

During her lifetime Swanson made and lost wealth and husbands (six!) and was abandoned and decimated by a certain lover (and father of a US president), Joseph P. Kennedy, who stole from her--ruined her, in fact (see video link, below). Then in 1980 she published an autobiography Swanson on Swanson which is still available through Amazon from third-party sellers.

Then on April 4, 1983, Gloria Swanson passed away, age 84, following heart surgery in New York City yet her magnetic image of beauty and glamour jumps from Neptune's Silver Screen as if from another world for those who care to have a look at a genuine Hollywood legend (see The Take video, linked, below). Age 84 suggests that during the year of her death, she experienced only the first of her three-fer Uranus Return/s (to 7Sag56) but didn't make it until the second or third returns which occurred on: 1. January 21, 1983; (her death); 2. May 8, 1983; and 3. November 8, 1983. Curiously, all three Return horoscopes show a YOD planetary pattern which is a health indicator and denotes a crisis or a critical turning point. As you know, Uranus is a planet of separation and detachment and of course, death is the final separation. So if I had to hazard a guess about her health based on this cosmic condition, I'd say that Miss Swanson had been ill for an extended period of time and unfortunately heart surgeries weren't always as successful as they tend to be today.

Curious for more details about the life and loves of Gloria? Check out Smithsonian Channel's 4-min-38-sec segment The Affair That Financially Ruined Gloria Swanson. And if you have 13 minutes or so to spare, don't miss The Take's intriguing feature Sunset Boulevard Explained: The Hollywood Nightmare about the making of this noir film classic.

And now to close this astro-tribute to screen legend Gloria Swanson I sincerely wish to say, May the beautiful and unique lady R.I.P.