Charles Aznavour (1924 – 2018)

“He knew that the real France was a France of welcome.  This son of immigrants, who had not studied, knew that in France … the French language was a sanctuary more sacred than any other.”

~ Emmanuel Macron

Charles Aznavour, popularly known as the French Frank Sinatra, was born in Paris to Armenian immigrants.  The family sheltered Jews in the second world war, and Charles and his sister later received an award for their actions.  His career was assisted early on by his bond with Edith Piaf, herself a legendary songstress in French culture.

Birth Chart

Aznavour’s Sun was at 0 degrees Gemini in his 5th House of Creativity and Children (he wrote over 1000 songs, and had 6 children).  With Edith’s Moon conjunct this point at 0 degrees Gemini, she was the Moon to his Sun.

We have birth times for both Charles and Edith, and Aznavour’s Ascendant in Capricorn, with Moon in 12th House also in that sign, points to the slightly melancholy quality to his singing.  Venus exactly conjunct Pluto in his chart gave rise to a deep, sonorous voice, and profound feeling conveyed in his musical presentation.

His Mercury sextile exactly Venus gives rise to two Archetypes in his chart and life: the Songwriter, and the Diplomat.  His legacy of songs are more prominent, but he did act in the role of ambassador for Armenia (to Switzerland), and a delegate to the United Nations.

One of his most memorable hits was the song “She”,  a song that reflects the nostalgia of his Moon in 12th House.  It was released at the time of his Chiron return in 1974.  This means it would represent something of his Inner Healer, Chiron being placed at the base of his chart in Aries, early in 4th House:

 “She may be the reason I survive
The why and wherefore I’m alive
The one I’ll care for through the rough and ready years
Me, I’ll take her laughter and her tears
And make them all my souvenirs
For where she goes I’ve got to be
The meaning of my life is she”

Edith Piaf

Early in his career, Edith Piaf invited Aznavour to open for her at the Moulin Rouge, and advised him on his singing style.  They were flatmates for a time, and also were involved in a car crash together in 1951.  They were definitely karmically linked, and with  her Mercury trine his North Node, they had a brother/sister relationship. Other highlights of their synastry which indicate her part in his career were her Jupiter on his Uranus (her role in his success) and her Ascendant conjunct his Midheaven or Careerpoint.

His last few months

On 12th May this year, just before his 94th birthday, he suffered a fall at his home breaking his arm, and though he vowed to keep performing sadly he had to cancel some shows, but he continued to give interviews even up to three days before his passing.  At the time of the fall, Pluto was on his Ascendant, a challenging transit for any time of life.  By the time of his passing on 1st October 2018 Neptune was sextile his Moon, a gentle transit for his journey.

“…Yesterday, when I was young
The taste of life was sweet as rain upon my tongue
I teased at life as if it were a foolish game
The way the evening breeze may tease a candle flame
The thousand dreams I dreamed, the splendid things I planned
I always built to last on weak and shifting sand
I lived by night and shunned the naked light of the day
And only now I see how the years ran away

Yesterday, when I was young
So many happy songs were waiting to be sung
So many wild pleasures lay in store for me
And so much pain my dazzled eyes refused to see
I ran so fast that time and youth at last ran out
I never stopped to think what life was all about
And every conversation I can now recall
Concerned itself with me and nothing else at all…”

~ Charles Aznavour

Aspects

We’re working our way towards a New Moon at 15 degrees Libra at the moment, which occurs at 3.47 a.m. on Tuesday (9th) in the U.K.   So the next two days it would be helpful to focus on your aspirations for relationship, diplomacy, justice, art and music – all provinces of the sign of Libra.  Crystallize your intent, shape your visualizations, and construct your affirmations on what is important to you.  Programme it into your subconscious before falling asleep on Monday night – and hey presto!  Either you have enlightenment during your sleep, or not…  But whether or not you are conscious of beneficial changes or shifts, they may still be running and bear fruit over the next month.

The next day, Wednesday (10th) sees Mercury’s entry into Scorpio.  You may be leaving behind some of the intellectual issues around relationship, diplomacy, justice, art and music and occupying your mind more forensically on deeper issues generally about life, or the deeper dimensions of those issues.  Mercury stays in Scorpio for the rest of this month, and so for that time frame the collective mindset will be trained to look deeper at various issues and beyond the superficial gloss of society’s values.  In your own personal life, too, you will have more courage to look at what really matters, and to worry less about how things appear to others.

In the late afternoon, or early evening we have an opposition between Mercury and Uranus.  So no sooner do we have a switch in mindset than we are confronted with a conundrum to test out our views.  Perhaps a controversial subject comes up, challenging us to think outside the box.  We may feel mentally overwhelmed, or be given too much information with a futuristic slant.  We may need to take a mental siesta, if frazzled.  Advance intuition, or meditation may help to attune ourselves to what is required, and keep us in the flow or in the zone.

Thursday (11th) brings a square between Venus and Mars to the table, an aspect we last met in September.  This is a passionate aspect, but one where there may signals may be confused or misread, as Venus represents love and Mars sexuality, and there are so many permutations in between.  You may need to be aware of issues around political correctness, and the “Me Too” movement may be a particular hot topic.  How to resolve the age old battle of the sexes now that Kavanaugh has been sworn in and Christine Ford’s testimony swept aside…?

Some of this angst will be relevant to the aspect on Friday (12th) which is the Sun square Pluto, so again the depth of experience of life is the issue, but in a more holistic sense than in the mental considerations of Wednesday.  But also there may be undertones of Thursday’s sexual tensions, with the deeper implications coming to the fore.  With Pluto squaring the Sun, there can be no hiding or sweeping under the carpet.  You have to look at the nitty gritty, whether it be a psychological issue facing you, or a challenge from outside yourself (say, from authority, or criticism from others).

A more helpful aspect on the same day, Mercury sextile Saturn, will enable you to attain some sense of proportion, and apply your mind sensibly.  If you are needing to attend to paperwork or documentation, this aspect could be useful.  It also enables straight talking, or plain speaking.  On what could be an emotional day, this may be a boon.  So there may be a highly charged atmosphere, but one person may be able to articulate or summarize in a logical and clear manner how the situation stands.

The week in bullet points:

  • Tuesday – new beginning
  • Wednesday – deeper patterns of thought, but also disruption
  • Thursday – social passions and wranglings
  • Friday – drama, and sense