Jeff Beck (1944 – 2023)

“Jeff could channel music from the ethereal…his imaginations apparently limitless”

~ Jimmy Page

Jeff Beck, regarded as one of the greatest guitar players of all time (the “guitarists’ guitarist), died this week unexpectedly, after contracting meningitis.  He was 78 years of age, and many musicians have paid tribute to his skills.  In 2015 he was ranked 5th by Rolling Stone magazine in a list of the list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists”

Birth Chart 

The first thing to note about his birth chart, is that he had 0 Earth planets, so that may have been a factor in being able to reach the celestial realms.  I am studying “genius” at the moment in my philosophy course, and that word has been used frequently in connection with Jeff Beck. [we are studying whether genius is born or made].  Jeff Beck had an exact conjunction of the Sun and Venus (artistic and musical talent) in the sign of Cancer (which represents musical rhythm).  These two planets are joined in a triple conjunction by Saturn, which is a hard taskmaster, but can produce great concentration and discipline.  And Neptune is in close square to this triple conjunction, again bringing in the ethereal frequencies.  He had the Moon, Mars and Jupiter in performing Leo.  His Mercury was exactly sextile Jupiter, so that produced a wide-ranging mind, and a well-travelled life.  But with the Sun in Cancer, there were periods of time he retired from the limelight.  He collaborated with many musicians in his life, but Cancerians do like to belong to bands (e.g. in my research on Fleetwood Mac, that band was founded on the sign of Cancer).  It’s their sense of “family”.  Mars conjunct Jupiter in his chart was a high energy, enthusiastic, joyful, frequency, and perfectly expressed in his well known hit “Hi Ho Silver Lining”:

And it’s hi, ho silver lining
And away you go now baby
I see your sun is shining

But I won’t make a fuss

I have no idea what the song means, and he didn’t write it, but the melody makes it one of the most uplifting of songs.  It is the song I hear, when I think of him.  Ironically, though, he never liked it, because it was a light and fluffy pop song.  Incidentally, the title bears the Cancerian colour, silver.

Saturn exactly square Neptune may have made him susceptible in terms of health; he suffered from tinnitus, and also suffered ill health after a car accident.  Neptune sextile his North Node further cements his reputation as an inspirational guitarist – and this is as part of his karmic mission.

Life and Career

Jeff Beck was born in Wallington, London, and had a fascination with the electric guitar from a very young age.  He started out by hand-making his own guitars.  On leaving school, he attended Wimbledon College of Art, and was introduced to Jimmy Page, who was born in the same year and later founded Led Zeppelin.  Beck began playing in a variety of groups, including that of Screaming Lord Sutch in 1962 (long before the latter became an amusing diversion to serious politics).

In 1965, Eric Clapton left the Yardbirds, and Jeff Beck was recruited to replace him (on Jimmy Page’s recommendation).  He was with them for 20 months, but that period was a high point for the band, their hits including “Heart Full of Soul”, which included some sitar-style guitar playing by Jeff Beck.

However Beck was asked to leave the Yardbirds during a tour of the U.S. because he was failing to turn up, and his perfectionism (Chiron in Virgo) and explosive temper (Moon conjunct Mars) made working with him more difficult.  In 1967 he recorded “Hi Ho Silver Lining”, produced by Mickie Most (who twisted his arm to make it), then went on to form The Jeff Beck Group, which included Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood.  The band lasted until July 1969, citing resentment, physical fights and touring incidents.

A period of ill health followed, and Jeff Beck resumed his musical career in 1970, with the drummer Cozy Powell.  The new group was also called “The Jeff Beck Group”, but they made little impact and he went solo in 1975.  He continued to collaborate with many artist over the years, including the Rolling Stones, Nile Rodgers and Brian Wilson.

In the 1980s he made a Grammy Award winning single with Rod Stewart of “People Get Ready”.  The recording, and the video, were a showcase for Beck’s guitar playing.  You can see him in his element, doing what he loved to do.

He also collaborated on an album with Johnny Depp in 2020, and they performed together at the Royal Albert Hall the week Johnny Depp won his court case against Amber Heard in July 2022.  They had made a cover version of “Isolation” by John Lennon.

Death

Jeff Beck died on Tuesday 10th, with Pluto transiting his South Node, a karmic note.  My 94-year old mother died on the same day this week, and she too was born on 24th June.  That meant they both had Jupiter at the time squaring their Suns.  In an elderly person, this can be a release.  However, for Jeff Beck, contracting meningitis suddenly, his death came as a shock to his family, friends and fans.

“Jeff Beck was on another planet. He took me and Ronnie Wood to the USA in the late 60s in his band the Jeff Beck Group and we haven’t looked back since.”

~ Rod Stewart

Aspects 

In the early hours of this morning, Venus squared Uranus.  I woke with a start, at that time, and it took me a while to get back to sleep.  It may be an abrasive day for meetings.  The way through is to use your intuition, and stay one step ahead.  Relationships can be disrupted, and subject to misunderstandings.  On the other hand, on another level, it can open up telepathic communication between individuals  on a higher plane.

At lunchtime on Wednesday (18th), Mercury will be Stationary, prior to turning Direct.  There is some relief from recent communication glitches and hopefully from the rail nightmares, when Mercury is Stationary prior to turning Direct.  There may be a turning point in your travel plans. It would have been useful to look at the transits of Mick Lynch, the astute rail union leader, at this point, but there is no available birth date for him.  Hopefully, if you have projects waiting to happen of a literary or technical nature, this may also be a go-ahead for you.  If you have been holding back on communication, you may feel the push to move forward again with it.

Just after lunch, the Sun conjoins with Pluto at 28 degrees Capricorn.  That may delay any benefits to the forward motion of Mercury, as it introduces a serious note into proceedings.  It may be a profound wake-up call, both personally and collectively.  Practicing meditation and calming techniques would be a good way to proceed on the day as the deeper issues of life come up for assessment.  Any creativity will have depth to it, and you won’t be able to skim the surface of things. But you will emerge the richer for it.

A fresher atmosphere arises on Friday (20th), with the entry of the Sun into Aquarius.  We are more open to embracing change,  as we emerge from the stiffness of winter, like snowdrops from the ground.  We still have a way to go before Spring, but are ready to look at different ways of being.

A definite new start is scheduled for Saturday (21st), with a New Moon right at the beginning of Aquarius (at 1 degree).  The New Moon is traditionally a time to focus on your wishes and intentions for a new beginning, and this one projects farther into the future than most.  It is time to imagine a better world, a time when we have overcome current obstacles and problems, the outlook has been so bleak in the last year.

The week in bullet points:

  • Today – strange relationships
  • Wednesday – communications improve, but serious issues to be considered
  • Friday – a fresher outlook
  • Saturday – new beginning
Date: Jan 15th, 2023 · Comments RSS · Tags: Obituary