Tom Daley

Among the highlights for Team GB at the Olympics this week was Tom Daley’s gold medal, achieved with his synchronized diving partner Matty Lee.

Birth Chart

With half his planets (5) in the Cardinal signs, Tom is a leader, and with 4 planets in Water signs he is very much a natural in that element.  His Sun in Gemini is conjunct the North Node and trine Uranus, which amplifies the theme of leadership, and originality.  His Sun is opposite Pluto, which symbolizes the role of the father (Sun) and his early death (Pluto) in Tom’s development. Tom’s Moon and Mercury are unaspected, and as Mercury is his ruling planet, this again frees him up to be an individual.  Mars in Aries closely squares Uranus, giving him an electrical quality to his energy.  He says:

“I’ve always been an adrenaline seeker.  I love rollercoasters, waterslides – diving is an extension of that.  I grew up by the sea in Plymouth.  From an early age my parents encouraged my brothers and me to swim in case we got into trouble in the water.  Diving gives me that mix of being in the water, but at the same time the adrenaline rush of jumping off something really high.”

Jupiter trine Saturn gives him a balanced judgment, something well needed in the precision of his art.  His karmic mission as a diver is further described by Neptune exactly sextile his North Node in Scorpio, and Pluto conjunct his North Node.

Life and Career

Tom was born in Plymouth, and began diving at the age of 7, an age when Saturn squared his natal Saturn in Pisces, emphasizing that planet’s role in his life’s work.  In 2007 he won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Young Personality award.  His first Olympics came in 2008, competing at the tender age of 14.  That is the time of the first Saturn opposition in a child’s birth chart.  He won two gold medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, and a bronze medal in the 2012 Summer Olympics.

His father had played a pivotal role in encouraging his talent and accompanying him to competitions. There is no doubting the closeness of father and son, and how much Tom openly acknowledges how much his father did to help him:

“My dad was my biggest cheerleader. He died from brain cancer a year before the London 2012 games.  Now I’m a parent I understand so much more about why he used to do the things he did.  You never understand how proud a parent can be of a child until you have a child yourself.”

Relationship

Having set up a YouTube channel in 2010, Tom posted a significant video on 2nd December 2013.  In it, he announced that he had been in a same sex relationship for nearly a year.  It was a brave act on his part, and accordingly an important transit at the time was Mars sextile his natal Pluto in Scorpio.

“Coming out on  YouTube was terrifying.  I didn’t know what the reaction was going to be.  Luckily, it was overwhelmingly positive.  My message to kids who feel different?  That perspective you have will be what enables you to be a warrior.  It’ll give you resilience.”

The relationship was with Dustin Lance Black, an American screenwriter, twenty years his senior, but they are both Geminis so they make up a “twinset”.  We have a birth time for Dustin, which we don’t have for Tom, so studying his chart helps to reveal more of Tom’s chart.  Dustin had a difficult Mormon upbringing, and from the synastry, it seems the relationship with Tom has been very healing for him, for example Tom’s Saturn (which seems to be a key planet in his life) trines Dustin’s Mercury, providing extra stability.  The announcement Tom made was very healing and even life changing for Dustin: Saturn was trine his Jupiter, the North Node was exactly trine Dustin’s Saturn to the day, and Uranus was transiting his Descendant (relationship point).

At their engagement on 1st October 2015, Neptune was trine Tom’s Jupiter (spiritual upliftment).  Dustin’s transits were almost totally positive, including Pluto trine his Venus (deep love).  Uranus was a driver in their commitment to marry on 6th May 2017, with Uranus square Tom’s Uranus, and Uranus sextile Dustin’s natal Moon.  Tom had always wanted children, and they opted for surrogacy, with their son Robbie being born on 27th June 2018.  Tom dotes on his son and says he is the light of his life, but Dustin’s astrological connections with Robbie are particularly strong, including Robert’s Sun conjunct Dustin’s Saturn, and Robert’s Neptune conjunct Dustin’s Jupiter.  The family of three live in London.

Partnership

Tom has had previous synchronized diving partnerships, but his partnership with Matty Lee has literally struck gold.  Matty Lee is Sun Sign Pisces, a much more traditional sign for a diver!  How synchronized are their charts?  An Astrologer would certainly match them together, if asked.  Although only four years younger than Tom, he admired Tom growing up, with Tom thrust into the limelight at such a young age.  Their synastry certainly makes them a dream team, with Matty’s Mars (energy) exactly sextile Tom’s Sun (self-expression), Matty’s Venus exactly trine Tom’s Sun (synchonization and harmony), and their Jupiters exactly sextile (a winning combination!).

Tom’s transits for the Gold medal included Jupiter square his natal Sun (high hopes), Jupiter trine his natal Venus (personal fulfilment) and Mars trine his natal Mars (superb physical co-ordination), plus Neptune sextile his Neptune (spiritual serenity).  Matty’s transits were Saturn exactly on his natal Uranus in Aquarius to the day (extreme self-control), Uranus sextile his natal Sun (sudden success) and Pluto sextile his natal Mercury (deep intelligence!)

It is amazing to think that Tom is still only 27 years of age.  He experienced his first Saturn Return this year (in April), which is regarded as a coming of age.

Quotations from interview in the Observer by Nick McGrath 18/7/21

Aspects

Mercury is sextile the North Node today, bringing karmic information to light.  Communication is highly significant and imbued with meaning, though subject to differing interpretations according to belief.  It is a good day for writing, teaching, tutoring and revising for forthcoming tests, and possibly for health checks.

At lunchtime, the Sun conjoins with Mercury at 9 degrees Leo.  It is a good day generally to apply your mind with clarity,  concentrate and focus,  and make important statements.  The focus may be on your own growth and potential and physical wellbeing.  Mentally you may see things clearly, if egocentrically.  Creatively, this is a very helpful conjunction: If you are writing a play, for instance, the perfect line could come to you.  Be productive and creative!

In the evening, Saturn opposes Mercury, so that could take a little of the shine off the clarity of the major portion of the day, perhaps pointing out further work needing to be done.  There may be a setback to a plan, or you may suddenly feel fatigued.  Challenges or blockages may occur to the smooth flow of earlier in the day.  You may find that after karmic insight (Mercury sextile North Node), you are having to deconstruct the more ambitious elements of your project or projects, and knuckle down to detail and more exacting mental work, to concentrate the mind.  Travelling back from a venue may be more delayed.

Tomorrow (Monday, 2nd August) first thing sees Saturn then move to oppose the Sun.  This could produce further frustration, but on a more creative rather than specifically mental level.  Pushing the whole project or projects further may be a struggle.  The skies may be a little overcast with some rainfall or showers…We need to assess all our exciting ideas in the cold light of day, whether they will work in practice, etc.  We need to digest the current state of progress, and discriminate about what is worthwhile, what may be pie in the sky or overly romanticized.  There may be feelings of deflation, or feeling unappreciated .

However, as the day wears on, you may achieve healing through a trine between Mercury and Chiron.  This aspect describes healing on a mental level (positive thinking, writing and affirmations), and helps to combine conventional and alternative or complementary healing approaches.  You may be able to pick up the more positive threads from the previous day, and pursue your project or projects with confidence.  Was that three steps forward and two steps backwards so far this week?  Or maybe you did a whole lot better.  This is a problem-solving aspect.

More plain sailing on Tuesday (3rd), with a trine between Venus and Uranus to start the day.  You might attend a social function such as a coffee morning, thinking you’ll give it a whirl and it may be quite pleasant, and then find you make exciting new connections or reunions, with laughter-filled conversations, telepathy, and possibly some personal moments of deja vu (have I known this person in a previous life?).

The spanner in the works crops up on Wednesday (4th),  in the shape of Mercury square Uranus.  Back up your computer files (mental note to take my own advice!), and consider I.T. loopholes, as this is a time when you may experience glitches in this area.  Speech may be controversial. Use your intuition to be one step ahead – the Universe may be trying to show you new pathways, and possible new perspectives.

Another helping of healing follows (the first helping was on Monday), bringing a further healing opportunity, courtesy of the Sun trine Chiron.  This aspect favours both physical and psychological healing, and a trip or leisure activity may be just the tonic you need, or those you share a “bubble” with of whatever size (depending on whether or not you are fully liberated, partially constricted, or cautiously isolating).

It could be a jagged, roller-coaster type of week (the adrenaline filled type that Tom Daley thrives on: see his quote, above), for on Friday (6th) Uranus brings more “surprises” through a square with the Sun, but late in the day, so Thursday and Friday could be fairly quiet before then.  In the outcomes of the day, you could find that the least likely option wins.  So don’t rest on your laurels, provide for loopholes, and don’t take unnecessary risks.  Those who thrive on a “seat of the pants” way of living, will find it easier, and the rest of us can practise living in the now.

The week in bullet points:

  • Today – karmic information; clear thought; doubts
  • Tomorrow – doubts; healing
  • Tuesday – social excitement
  • Wednesday – spanner in the works; healing
  • Friday – late onset spanner in the works
Date: Aug 1st, 2021 · Comments RSS · Tags: Sport