Aspects for the week beginning 10 September 2023

Mike Yarwood (1941 – 2023)

The groundbreaking impersonator of the 1970s Mike Yarwood left us this week, aged 82.  I will try and give an impression of his birth chart.

Birth Chart

Of the great impressionists, a high percentage of them turn out to be Geminis, and Mike Yarwood, born on 14th June, had the Sun and Jupiter in this sign.  It is quite a mercurial profession, employing linguistic skill and versatility.  The animal totem of that sign, the monkey, is known for aping.  Other planets which feature heavily in impressionist charts are Neptune (for illusion) and Uranus (for surprise).  Mike Yarwood’s Sun was square to Neptune, and in a T-square with his Mars-Neptune/North Node opposition.  Perhaps the North Node/Neptune conjunction (The Illusionist Archetype) is the most telling depiction of his karmic mission of shapeshifting into other people – and it occurs in his 3rd House of Verbal Expression.  We do have a birth time for him, which reveals an Ascendant of Cancer with Venus rising, and Moon placed close to the Midheaven (careerpoint), showing a career in the public eye.  Uranus (ingenuity) is strongly placed in his chart, being trine his Neptune (working with complexity), exactly squaring his Midheaven, trine his North Node (a strong element of surprise and innovation in his karmic mission), and closely sextile his Chiron (healing through humour).  Oh, how we parodied his impression of Edward Heath in the 1970s…  He also had the Entrepreneur Archetype (Jupiter conjunct Uranus).  Mercury conjunct Venus gave ease of verbal expression, and was placed close to the Ascendant (an integral part of his personality).

Life and Career

Mike Yarwood was born in Cheshire.  When leaving school he took up the Geminian pursuits of messenger and salesman.  He was also involved in football (Sun square Mars). He took part in a talent show and came runner-up, then started touring in pubs and clubs, eventually breaking into television.  He appeared on Sunday Night at the London Palladium in 1964, airing his famous impression of Harold Wilson.  The BBC gave him his own regular show, which was avidly watched by millions (an average of 18 million).  His genius pushed the art of impressionism to new heights: he would morph almost physically into the portrayal of another persona, but also put in comic verbal scripts which were inspired.  This was utterly new at the time, although he has had his own impersonators, subsequently.  He in effect created a new artform.

He flattered and pilloried many a celebrity of his day, among them Brian Clough, Robin Day, Magnus Pyke, Alf Garnett, Columbo, Prince Charles, Patrick Moore and Frank Spencer.

He married a dancer in November 1969, and had two daughters.  Like several comedians, he suffered depression, and had  a spell of treatment at the Priory in October 1999 (when Neptune was opposite his natal conjunction of Pluto and Chiron in his 1st House).

Other Impressionists

Four other notable Gemini impressionists are John Culshaw (who directly credits Mike Yarwood as inspiration), Debra Stephenson, Harry Enflield and the relative newcomer Luke Kempner (who came to fame impersonating all the Big Brother contestants consummately).  John Culshaw (born 2nd June), a star of Spitting Image and Dead Ringers, has the Sun, Venus and Mars in Gemini, and is especially known for his impersonation of Tony Blair.

Debra Stephenson (born 4th June) and also from Spitting Image and Dead Ringers, is a double Gemini, with the Sun exactly conjunct its ruling planet Mercury in the sign of Gemini, together with Mercury and Saturn also in that sign.  Her Sun/Mercury conjunction is exactly trine Uranus, giving her brilliance.

Harry Enfield is also Gemini (born 30th May), with Sun, Mercury, Venus and Uranus all in Gemini.  His performances are usually centred around characters he has created, but he has played Prince Charles in The Windsors.  The Observer reports him as saying:

“It started with Mike Yarwood for me.  His impression of [Prince] Charles was one you did at school, because there was nothing too rude in it.  So I did Mike Yarwood doing Charles, rather than Charles, along with his Harold Wilson.  I probably did Charles with quite a lot of cuff action.”

Luke Kempner (born 5th June) is an amazing young impressionist, born in 1987, and has worked on the Tracey Ullman Show.  Luke has the Sun and Chiron conjunct in Gemini.  His chart bears similarities to Mike Yarwood’s, with Mars opposite Neptune and Saturn conjunct Uranus, both features of Yarwood’s chart.  In common with John Culshaw, he has Jupiter trine Saturn.  He has been seen to impersonate almost anybody at the drop of a hat, but particularly known subjects are Andy Murray and Tom Daley.

See what you started, Mike Yarwood?  We are so glad you did!  Laughter is still the best medicine.

“He absolutely made people better informed, even giving people catchphrases…He seemed to have an affection for those he impersonated, turning them into fun characters.”

~ Steve Nallon

The Quiet Office

I am pleased to announce that I have finished writing the second novel of my trilogy, “The Quiet Office”.  If you enjoyed Volume I – “The Mundane and Mystical”, you will love catching up with the characters in Volume II – “The Search for the Now”.  This volume maintains the gentle humour of Volume I.  Volume III will be taking us into Future Life Progression.

I have also painted an astrological mandala for each chapter, and they will at some point be available to buy as a set – enhancing the reading of Volume II itself.

Volume I is available on Amazon, if you have not yet started on the trilogy.

Will keep you posted!

Aspects

All the action comes at the end of the week!

I am starting with a Fixed Star, Denebola, the alignment of which takes place on Wednesday (13th).  Denebola is the Beta star in the constellation of Leo.  We gather from “Starlight Elixirs” by Michael Smulkis and Fred Rubenfeld:

“This star has a direct bearing upon will and leadership functioning, enhancing awareness of the deep meaning of leadership, and the ability to create more consciously the links usually unconscious between any leader and a group.  This is the basic form in which charisma comes, in the way in which one becomes the voice for many, in a way in which the many are unable to express that voice.”

They add:

“This star can also be beneficial anytime a group focuses on an individual, even when it is group healing or receiving energy of the group, as this group energy then becomes one-pointed and focused within the individual.”

You may come to the end of a line of enquiry or a work project during the course of the week, ready for the New Moon at 21 degrees Virgo in the early hours of Friday (15th), when new experiences can take place.  Aspirations around this New Moon in Virgo could be very work-orientated.  Ecology and the environment are also provinces of Virgo, so benefits could accrue for the planet if enough minds are concentrated on this aspect of life.

You may also be feeling upbeat or that things are about to change for the better, as that evening Mercury is Stationary prior to turning Direct.  There is some relief from recent communication glitches and if we’re lucky ease from some rail nightmares.  There may be a turning point in your travel plans. 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.

Saving the best to last this week is the Sun’s trine with Uranus in the early hours of Saturday (16th).  If you’ve read my blog diligently you might have noticed that impressionist Debra Stephenson has an exact trine between the Sun and Uranus, so you may find that your impressions that day are extra talented.  The trine may give you the go ahead to forge ahead with innovative plans and original creativity.  This is a hopeful influence, and can also bring surprise.

The week in bullet points:

• Wednesday – leadership issues and solutions
• Friday – new beginnings and smoother communications
• Saturday – innovation and brilliance