Tim Brooke-Taylor (1940 – 2020)

Comedian Tim Brooke-Taylor died last Sunday, 12th April, the same day as motor-racer Stirling Moss and footballer Peter Bonetti.  He died, at the age of 79, as a result of complications from the coronavirus.

Birth Chart

Tim had the Sun conjunct Chiron in Cancer, depicting a kind, caring healer of sorts (healing through emotion and comedy).  Chiron is strongly aspected in his natal chart, with in addition three sextiles, to Uranus, Neptune and his Ascendant.  As an actor as well as a comedian, he played many roles, some pompous, but the vulnerable, self-deprecatory persona felt very much like the true Tim Brooke-Taylor, and that shows up in his combination of Cancer Sun with Ascendant in Virgo and Neptune rising.

He was highly intelligent (Sun conjunct Mercury), and came from the same stable (i.e. Footlights at Cambridge University) as his contemporary John Cleese.  He was actually president of Footlights for a while.  What is distinguished in his chart is an exact sextile between the Sun and Uranus, which shows a brilliance of sorts.  Uranus is strong in his chart too, as it is also exactly sextile his Ascendant, showing he had the power of surprise, essential in comedy.  Mercury conjunct Mars in entertaining and performing Leo conferred a quick wit, situated in the 11th House of Groups and Friendships (i.e. The Goodies being his group).  In fact Mercury was also conjunct exactly with Pluto there, an ability to be profound, and forming with Mars a triple conjunction (standing for a trio of energetic comics). Venus was in Gemini in the 10th House of career, at the top of his chart, close to the Midheaven, earning for him a huge popularity and likeability.  Mars squaring Jupiter in his chart constitutes over the top humour and energy, with Mars square Saturn showing a clumsiness, which is helpful for slapstick skills.  Last but not least, Sagittarius on the I.C. (imum coelum) tells us that humour was a foundation for his life.

Life and Career

Tim was a regular on our screens (e.g. remember the brilliant At Last the 1948 Show?) before he teamed up with Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie as the madcap trio The Goodies from 1970 – 1980.  But he was also known on radio as a panellist on I’m Sorry I haven’t a Clue (an “antidote to panel games”) and I’m Sorry I’ll read that Again, a long service stretching over 50 years.  I’m Sorry I haven’t a Clue epitomizes his type of humour, which could be described as general silliness!  Something people need in times of trouble…letting go into silliness, rather than mental gymnastics.

Partners in Comedy

The Guardian obituary by Anthony Hayward describes the roles within the Goodies as “The pompous Brooke-Taylor, the professional Garden and the untidy but raffish Oddie”.

In the mysterious alchemy which makes a trio workable, we find the following interaspects for Tim and his partners:

With Graeme Garden, there was an exact opposition between their Mercuries, complementary mindsets under Leo (Tim) and Aquarius (Graeme).  Plus Graeme’s Jupiter was exactly square Tim’s Nodal Axis (comic karma! – maybe they were a performing troupe in the Middle Ages).

Like Tim, Bill Oddie is a Cancerian, so they may to some extent have shared biorhythms.  There was a definite karmic relationship, with Oddie’s Sun square Tim’s Nodal Axis.  Mental and physical energy and stimulus came from Oddie’s Mars trine Tim’s Mercury/Pluto.  The power of humour is represented by Oddie’s Jupiter sextile Tim’s Mars.  And inspiration is represented by Oddie’s Neptune conjunct exactly Tim’s Ascendant (we do not have Oddie’s birth time/Ascendant).

In the third side of the triangle: Oddie’s Venus sextiles Graeme’s Saturn (loyalty in friendship), Oddie’s Mars sextiles Graeme’s Mercury (sparking wit), but Oddie’s Saturn squares Graeme’s Nodal Axis and Chiron (a serious Soul Contract).

Death

The tragedy of being a victim of coronavirus is being replicated all over the country and the world, and I cannot see any astrological patterns so far.  Though the transits may not tell us anything about the nature of his death, for the record, Mars was exactly opposite Tim’s natal Mars (a battle fought and lost), and Pluto (the ending of the life cycle) was exactly opposite his natal Sun.  He was by all accounts, a very nice man.  Here is his tribute from comedian David Mitchell:

“He was a wonderful comedian and a really lovely man and I feel honoured to have known and worked with him.”

Aspects

Today, Mercury is sextile Mars: as we have seen above, this combination can spark wit!  So sharpen your pen, and if appropriate, loosen your tongue!  Physical and mental energies can co-ordinate.  If you are cycling a great deal to keep fit in these challenging times, you may find the wind behind your sails.  You may be able to cycle just that bit faster or longer, and your fitbit may register record stats. There may be shortcuts to your usual way of doing things.

At the same time, you may also be able to slow down and manipulate time today, because the Sun moves from quick-acting Aries into chilled out Taurus today.  So it is also a good day for gardening, if you would prefer that to cycling.  Taurus is a sign which fosters a whole host of talents: cooking (ingenious lockdown recipes from the stock cupboard), nurturing seedlings, expressing art and music (a friend of ours is teaching his grandson to play the recorder on Zoom), and creative management of money.  So the coming month is a favourable climate for learning to breathe and blossom in whatever talent you wish to nurture within your repertoire.

Tomorrow, Monday (20th), the Sun is sextile the North Node, which also favours forging on with creative plans.  It is a good day to settle on your direction in life, or for the week at least.  You may find that everything falls into place.

Tuesday (21st) is more difficult.  Saturn squaring the Sun can produce delay and frustration.  The slowing of rhythm in Taurus may look more like a standstill.  This is an opportunity to think through what you are doing, and your strategies.  If you are making economies, are they the right ones, based on your optimum values?

A New Moon at 3 degrees Taurus on Thursday (23rd) may enable a fresh new start, and that may be in the realm of cooking, gardening, art, music or money.  If you know the House which it falls on in your birth chart, you can further refine the area of your intentionality.  Make the most of this wishing Moon.

Further setbacks may be likely on Saturday (25th), so don’t be too ambitious about what you want to fit into your plans and cram into your diary.  Allow spaces for psychologically digesting your experiences.

First, Pluto squares Mercury, so you may encounter awkward communications or travel (if you are allowed to travel).  Some ‘me space’ could enable the depth of thought you need to see things clearly, and put your priorities in order.   Statistics around the pandemic could seem dispiriting, but every day in every way we are getting closer to the sense of an ending.

In the early evening, Pluto is Stationary prior to turning retrograde.  Put your psychological house in order, e.g. with a spot of re-aligning meditation, ready for the challenges of this retrograde period.  The challenges may be more wearying than acute, but you need to keep up your vitality and reserves, and try to keep on top of day-to-day challenges.  Alternatively, if you find yourself in overwhelm, surrender is equally effective as a spiritual strategy towards a sense of peace and acceptance, and new insight to inform your next steps.

Captain Tom Moore

I can’t leave this blog without a look at the birth chart of Captain Tom Moore, an unintentional hero of the pandemic!  Nearly 100 years old, he set out on 8th April to walk 100 laps of his garden before his birthday on 30th April.  He was aiming to raise £1000 from family and friends for the NHS (in gratitude for earlier treatment for skin cancer), and to date he has now raised more than £25m and made a chart topping record with Michael Ball.

What special qualities mark out his chart for success and longevity?  Sun in Taurus has great stamina and endurance, as well as a strong will of course.  But a wonderful feature of his chart is Neptune conjunct exactly with Jupiter (extreme idealism) and together they trine Chiron (the healer and solution to problems).  Chiron exactly trines Neptune and closely trines Jupiter.  That is an amazing planetary line up!

In his transits, we have a Uranian story:  On 8th April Uranus was trine his natal Saturn; Uranus was sextile his natal Uranus (the power of surprise) and Uranus was sextile his natal Pluto – a big change in his life, suddenly bringing out his power.

Michael Ball, who has made the most of the opportunity by making a record of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” with Tom taking part, also has the power of Uranus working for him at the moment, with Uranus exactly sextile his natal Sun.  Do they have a link, karmic or otherwise?  Yes, Tom’s Uranus trines Michael’s Sun exactly, Tom’s Mars sextiles Michael’s Uranus (they galvanize each other), and Tom’s Pluto is exactly conjunct Michael’s Sun (Tom makes a profound impact on Michael’s life and psyche).

By this time next week, I imagine Tom’s adventures and exploits will have grown exponentially…!

The week in bullet points:

  • Today – brisk action, but also relaxation
  • Tomorrow – karmic reward
  • Tuesday – frustration
  • Thursday – new beginning
  • Saturday – psychological wrangles
Date: Apr 19th, 2020 · Comments RSS · Tags: Celebrities · Obituary