Peaches Honeyblossom Geldof-Cohen

“In the land of Gods and Monsters
I was an Angel…
No one’s gonna take my soul away
I’m living like Jim Morrison”

~ Song by Lana del Ray

Peaches Honeyblossom Geldof-Cohen

This week it was announced that Peaches Geldof did have heroin in her system when she died last month.  Fresh faced Peaches  departed suddenly and inexplicably from our world on 7th April 2014, leaving behind two very young sons.

She often spoke of the overwhelming effect her mother’s death had in her life.  In her chart,  Chiron (wound and healing) were at the beginning of the sign of Cancer, that degree and sign emphasizing the mother.  Chiron points to the wound, but also the manner in which it may be healed (becoming a mother, which gave her some respite) and also the means by which you can then go on to help others (writing about motherhood in the media).  Sadly, other processes cut through that healing.

She was born for broadcasting, with Mercury conjunct the North Node in the 5^th House of Self-Expression, and a life of glamour too was indicated by a conjunction of Venus with the Sun in Pisces in the same House.

Peaches’ depressive tendency is shown by an exact conjunction between Saturn and Neptune.  Pluto was transiting this conjunction, testing it to the limits, at the time of her death.

Deborah Orr writing in the Guardian yesterday emphasized her Idealism, and that she could never come up to her own ideals.  That is a trait of her Piscean sunsign.  Pisces is ruled by the unbounded (in terms of consciousness) planet Neptune.

With Saturn exactly conjunct her Neptune, she did try to confine herself to systems which were disciplined: dieting, Scientology and attachment parenting among them.  Sooner or later the bonds burst and the soul tries to break free of restrictions.

Between her and her mother was a strong force, a square between Paula’s Pluto and Peaches’ Mars. Could this aspect have exerted a force from beyond the grave?

She presented a normal picture to her friends and family in her last weekend alone., which made her death difficult to prevent.

In this blog, I look at the back story, and the heritage from characters in her life or those who may have had an influence.

Themes of Chiron and wounding, Neptune and addiction, and Pluto and death (Keats’ phrase from Ode to a Nightingale “half in love with easeful death” describes it well) loom large in the story.  Neptune and Pluto particularly represent the veil between life and death in different ways.  We all have addiction, to some degree.

Jim Morrison

You might wonder why Jim Morrison is in my narrative, if so please bear with me.  When I go back in my mind, I always go back to this as the origin of the story.

Jim Morrison was the ultimate rock god, and one of those who perished suddenly and mysteriously, possibly under a haze of heroin.

In his chart Chiron was exactly square his Sun, so his wounding was emphasized, but he put out such a body of creativity in his songs and poetry, and was so successful in terms of rock stardom, that it is difficult to detect what the wound was.  He may have died of a heart attack,  and Chiron would have put a strain on the heart physically and emotionally.

Pluto was conjunct exactly the North Node, showing the rock god Archetype.  The rock god Archetype comes under Scorpio and its ruler Pluto, with its edgy, slightly destructive passion.  Mars trine the Ascendant added to his considerable charisma.

Mercury sextile Venus exactly revealed the Writer Archetype – he was a consummate poet and songwriter.

Jupiter exactly square the Midheaven/I.C. axis gave him a larger than life career and lifestyle.  At his death Jupiter was conjunct his Midheaven and square his natal Jupiter, in this case indicating an explosive leap into another dimension, but we do not know the reason or the exact circumstances. At  his death also Pluto opposed his Ascendant, a transit which can result in an out of the body experience.

He was reportedly found in a bathtub and if true that is represented by natal Neptune in the 8th house (a watery death).  Rumours surrounded his death in Paris on 3/7/71  at the age of 27, including the possibility of a heroin overdose, but the police decided not to investigate.  He was found by his partner Pamela Courson who later herself died at 27 of a heroin overdose

What would have happened if Morrison hadn’t died?

Michael Hutchence

It is no secret that Michael Hutchence admired and to some extent modelled himself on Jim Morrison. He also resembled him physically. Michael was also prone to swagger on stage in the manner of Mick Jagger.  But he did identify closely with Jim Morrison.

He had Part of Fortune / Moon / Neptune in the rock god sign of Scorpio. His Part of Fortune was conjunct exactly Morrison’s Venus, an almost religious attachment.

Early in his career, before he met Paula Yates, he wrote the song “Suicide Blonde”, a haunting and prophetic title in the light of Paula’s later heroin overdose.

Perhaps Bob Geldof was not enough of a rock god for Paula, for she fell in love with Michael Hutchence and was determined to be with him, in the singleminded way of Sun in Taurus.

His Neptune was squaring Paula’s Ascendant, which will have fascinated her. His Moon exactly opposed her Sun, giving the feeling that they completed each other.

Just before he died, he was waiting to hear whether Paula would be allowed to bring their daughter Tiger out to Australia where he was touring, due to a tussle with Bob Geldof.  He was in distress over this, but we do not know how much this contributed to his death by self strangulation.

Neptune (drugs and mystery) was transiting his Mercury at the time, so he will have experienced mental confusion. Pluto was squaring his Pluto, which is one of the most difficult transits we face. There is still mystery surrounding his death.

At the time he died the Nodal Axis was squaring Peaches’ Moon, which represented a karmic event affecting the mother. The chart of the daughter of Michael and Paula, Tiger, also registered the impact of an emotional loss for the mother: Saturn opposite Tiger’s Moon. For Tiger too it was a karmic event, with the North Node transiting her Ascendant.

A tragic early death was part of the myth which Hutchence was following.  Once he had embraced that path, could he have turned back from the same sudden ending as his predecessor?  Would he and Paula Yates have provided the stability and security which Peaches craved?

Paula Yates

Paula Yates was a strong willed Taurean, with a showbiz Leo Ascendant and quirky Uranus rising. Her Uranus was her guiding light, exactly sextile her North Node, and her daughter  Peaches also had this aspect, to one degree – another career mirror.

Paula’s Chiron was exactly conjunct her Part of Fortune in Aquarius in her 7th House of relationships.

In his autobiography “Is that It?”, originally written before they divorced, Bob Geldof wrote about how he admired Paula’s combination of strength and quirkiness, and how she mesmerized him in the early years of their relationship.

She loved her daughters, and wrote books on mothering.  She was a successful and driven TV presenter.  But the death of Michael Hutchence broke her spirit, and months before she died she received another blow, in relation to her parentage.  It was said that she sewed Michael’s ashes into her pillow, like some tragic pre-Raphaelite heroine  Her death by heroin overdose was in turn a blow to the family, and Peaches never recovered according to her own admission.  If Paula had survived, there is every chance that Peaches would have.

Jesse Yates

Both Paula Yates’ adoptive father and her real father were television presenters, so it is easy to see why she took that career path. Then with identification with her mother, Peaches took the same career route.

Paula’s mother Elaine Smith was an actress and author, but we do not have a birth date for her.  We also know little about her, or her role in Paula’s life, psyche and process.

That Jesse’s true role in her life was hidden from her is shown by his Neptune on her Ascendant, a fundamental fact kept from her.

Hughie Green

We do not know what effect it had on Paula to be brought up by Jesse Yates, while not knowing for almost all her life that Hughie Green was her real father.

Paula and Hughie (who died before she knew he was her father and the fact was shockingly revealed shortly before her death) had a karmic parent/child tie of Moon (Paula’s) conjunct North Node (Hughie’s). The karma was played out by separation, and the separation is shown by her Uranus opposing his Sun. Would she have survived if she had known her true father?

Bob Geldof

Paula’s first husband Sir Bob Geldof is an edgy personality, and musical (Libran) but has no planets in the rock god sign of Scorpio, a compelling opposite sign for Paula. With Chiron rising in Sagittarius and Moon rxactly trine Jupiter he has a desire to heal the world!

He was unable to control either Paula and Peaches – Paula as the strong willed Taurean, and Peaches as an uncontainable Pisces

Bob Geldof, after the deaths of Paula and Michael, evolved into a Patriarch Archetype.  He fought and won custody of Tiger to keep her with her sisters, has kept the family together, and vows to do so now in the current circumstances.

In his clash with Michael Hutchence, he was the victor in terms of psychological toughness.

Geldof and Jagger are survivors in the rock world – Jagger has 5 planets and the North Node in Leo which gives him vitality, love of life, and a fierce hold on it.

Peaches’ Children

We have no birth date for Peaches’ husband Thomas Cohen. Her children Astala and Phaedra will be affected by their mother’s tragic early death, but we do not know how their wounds will play out.  Astala, the elder son, was born under a New Moon which will give him some resilence, though his chart is more stressed in relation to his mother.  Phaedra had an easy bond with her, and also a bond with Paula Yates, in sharing a birthday. The two boys both have Mercury conjunct Uranus, and will enjoy a close mental companionship.  Let us hope that they, like Tiger, can be absorbed into the wide extended family, receive positive nurturing, and be protected from the media.