Drive-by Astrology ~ Francis Crick

Today, a bit of what I like to call "drive-by astrology". More often than not "drive-by" is used in connection with shootings. I put the term to use in a more peaceful context. Whenever I come across an individual whose natal chart proves, on first sight, to be an excellent fit for the person I perceive, I post the chart with very brief reasons why it fits its owner so clearly. I hope this will provide a chance to see astrology working "before our very eyes" !

Drive-by subject: Francis Crick (8 June 1916 – 28 July 2004). Oh look - today is the centenary of his birth! He was an English biologist and neuroscientist who became one of the most important contributors to understanding DNA when he co-discovered its helical structure in 1953. He was also the one to coin the term "central dogma" in reference to how genetic information flows from DNA to RNA to protein.

I'm a numbskull regarding science, so will simply direct any interested reader to the Wikipedia page on Crick, and to a tribute piece, Remembering the bold and brilliant Francis Crick by Gary Robbins in the San Diego Union-Tribune.


I shall simply take a look at his natal chart. No time of birth is known, so chart is set for 12 noon on 8 June 1916, Northampton, UK. Crick was actually born in a tiny village, Weston Favell, near Northampton, chart is set for Northampton - nearest my software can manage.

From Gary Robbins' piece linked above:

Crick is remembered as a bold, brilliant, boisterous, bigger-than-life figure who expanded beyond genetics to search for a biological basis for human consciousness.

Wikipedia (linked above)

Crick was often described as very talkative, with Watson – in The Double Helix – implying lack of modesty. His personality combined with his scientific accomplishments produced many opportunities for Crick to stimulate reactions from others, both inside and outside the scientific world, which was the centre of his intellectual and professional life. Crick spoke rapidly, and rather loudly, and had an infectious and reverberating laugh, and a lively sense of humour. One colleague from the Salk Institute described him as "a brainstorming intellectual powerhouse with a mischievous smile.... Francis was never mean-spirited, just incisive. He detected microscopic flaws in logic. In a room full of smart scientists, Francis continually reearned his position as the heavyweight champ."

Airy Gemini Sun conjunct Mercury: an excellent start for mental acuity, here linked by harmonious trine to Uranus in its own sign of rulership, airy inventive Aquarius, seals the deal. Astrologers would not be in the least surprised to find that a person with this combination would have some manner of mental brilliance, more than likely connected to something new and futuristic (via Uranus). Saturn, the planet said to be connected to things scientific/mathematical/structured, was in Cancer, conjunct Venus and in semi-sextile to Sun/Mercury. Some interpret semi-sextiles as unhelpful, I don't. Though Cancer and Gemini are not seen as particularly compatible as signs go, I interpret this link as indication of the direction this man's brilliance would likely take : into science.

Crick's natal Moon would have been somewhere in Virgo, whatever his time of birth. Virgo is a sign known for meticulous attention to detail, and that attribute is essential in scientific pursuits. Virgo Moon could quite likely have been in helpful sextile to Saturn.

Crick's boisterous personality, loud laughter and general geniality is, I think, nicely represented by boisterous cheerful Jupiter in impetuous Aries.

Drive-by Astrology # 1 - Dr. Cornel West

More often than not "drive-by" is used in connection with shootings. I'm going to put the term to use in a more peaceful context: "drive-by astrology". Whenever I come across an individual whose natal chart proves, on first sight, to be an exact fit for the person I perceive, I'll post the chart with very brief reasons why it fits its owner so clearly. I hope this will provide a chance to see astrology working "before your very eyes" !

First up in the drive-by series: Dr. Cornel West, author, lecturer, public speaker, social activist, democratic socialist and major figure in African American academia, including the illustrious Princeton and Harvard. I've seen Dr. West on several occasions as a guest on Bill Maher's "Real Time". Each time I've been impressed by his eloquence, charm and ability to hold my interest, whatever the subject under discussion. He obviously has a brilliant mind, yet his approach is straightforward and lacking in all the scholarly affectation so often encountered among the egg-head community.
A descriptive paragraph from here:

"...... an eloquent lecturer, whose lithe and energetic body was
totally involved in the torrent of words and ideas that tumbled from his mouth. He asked his listeners not only to hear what he said, but to enter into his thought processes and share his enthusiasms or generate their own thoughts and enthusiasms. His speaking style was symbolic of his convictions, which rejected the divorce of body from mind, of emotion from intellect, characteristic of much philosophy since Descartes. In a time when many philosophers would be horrified to be called preachers, West (although not an ordained minister) was not embarrassed to preach an occasional sermon. For him a passion for social justice was as intellectually respectable and demanding as the most rigorous intellectual analysis of propositions, and the two were never far apart in his philosophy."

ASTROLOGICALLY DRIVING BY:

Born on 2 June 1953 in Tulsa, Oklahoma (I didn't have him down as an Okie!)Birthtime unknown.



Sun and 3 planets in Gemini (the sign of mental process, communication, a quick mind). Good start! Two of the Gemini planets are conjoined, Mercury and Mars at 22 degrees. Mercury is at home in its own sign, Gemini, therefore unadulterated by other influence, though strengthened and energised by Mars.

Saturn and Neptune are conjoined in Libra (diplomacy and justice), Moon is in Aquarius between 9 and 22 degrees (social awareness). So, Air, the mental element, rules - Gemini, Libra and Aquarius predominate. Gemini and Libra planets in close trine, and the Moon is very likely in trine to both, though how close we can't be sure. What a circuit, enabling all kinds of mental acrobatics!

One more point - in January 2002 Dr. West underwent surgery for prostate cancer. Saturn (restriction, limitation) visited Gemini from May 2001 to Dec 2002, hitting his 4 Gemini planets one by one along its journey, reflecting what must have been a very worrying and restricting time for Dr. West.