Barbra Streisand

“I’m a very private person. I don’t enjoy stardom.”

~ Barbra Streisand

Eighty-one year old Barbra Streisand published her memoirs this week, which had been 25 years in the writing, with nearly 1000 pages to show for it.  She has also given some interesting interviews, and highlighted some interesting liaisons in her life.

Birth Chart

Barbra has half her planets (5) in Earth signs, so is very grounded, and over half (6) in the Fixed signs, so is very strong willed.  The main zodiacal areas of her chart are Taurus (The Singer) and Leo (The Actor and Performer), which sums up her strengths immediately.  She has the Sun exactly trine her natal Midheaven (Careerpoint), which marks out a successful career as an Actor and Performer.  What makes the expression of her talent more spectacular is a triple conjunction of Pluto/Chiron/and the Moon in Leo on the cusp of her 5th House of Performance.  Her Sun is exactly square Pluto, deepening her character.  She also has Mercury exactly square Chiron, problem-solving mentality honed through crisis.  Venus is conjunct her South Node by 6 degs, suggesting she has perfected her singing path in past lives.  It is also revealed in her book that she is a great foodie, another Taurean trait.

Privacy

It is quite clear that Barbra is a private person.  Several features of her chart point to this.  Primarily this may be because all her planets are below the horizon, in the personal half of the birth chart, and the only  planet which isn’t, her ruling planet Venus, is in the 12th House of the Unconscious in shy Pisces.   Sun exactly square Pluto can also be retiring;  Mars closely square Neptune is secretive, and Mars is placed on the I.C. (Security Point) in Cancer,  which is home loving.  Last but not least, Neptune is square her Midheaven, a case of not seeking the limelight, as opposed to triple conjunction in Leo (so there must be some inner conflict there).  She said in an interview that she is a different person when she steps on stage to perform.

Life and Career

Barbra was born in Brooklyn of Jewish parents.  Her mother was a soprano, and a grandfather had been a cantor.  Her father died from an epileptic seizure when she was one year old: this is depicted in her chart by the exact square of Pluto (death) to her Sun (the father).  I hasten to say this is not how Pluto square the Sun plays out for all who have it.  Her mother re-married and Barbra describes her step-father as cruel.  Apparently at school she was intelligent and curious but lacked discipline.  Discipline is a function of the planet Saturn, which in her chart is unaspected except for an exact conjunction with Uranus (The Rebel) – it seems the rebel swamped the discipline, at least at that time of her life.  At High School in Brooklyn she sang with classmate Neil Diamond. He recalls:

“We were two poor kids in Brooklyn. We hung out in the front of Erasmus High and smoked cigarettes.”  Later, they were to duet together on the hit song “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers”.

In the early 1960s she performed in nightclubs, and also took a job as a theatre usher.  She has said: “I always hid my face because I thought someday I’d be well-known.”  Her mother begged her not to take up such a precarious profession, but, in Barbra’s words: “My desires were strengthened by wanting to prove to my mother that I could be a star.” (6 Fixed planets).  The role of the “critical mother” is hinted at in her chart by the Moon square Mercury.  Early on, her singing was encouraged by a boyfriend Barry Dennen, who said, of hearing her voice in an early recording session:

“We spent the afternoon taping, and the moment I heard the first playback I went insane … This nutty little kook had one of the most breathtaking voices I’d ever heard … when she was finished and I turned off the machine, I needed a long moment before I dared look up at her.”

She was able to venture into acting, which had been her first ambition, by at first accepting stage roles which involved singing.  She then signed with Columbia records, releasing her debut Album in 1963, but not before ensuring she had full control over the content of her work, accepting a lower rate of pay.  Some of the greatest hits in her long career were People, The Way We Were, Guilty, Evergreen, You Don’t Bring Me Flowers, No More Tears (Enough is Enough) and Woman in Love.

Her first film success was Funny Girl (1968), then followed Hello Dolly! (1969) “What’s Up, Doc? (1972), The Way We Were (1973).  She then ventured into directing, starring in “Yentl” (1983),  a film she had wanted to make since being introduced to the short story by Isaac Bashevis Singer in 1968.  Her journey to its creation is fascinating.

Her Voice

Her voice has been described as “peerless” and semi-operatic, and is in the range of a Mezzo-Soprano.  Apparently, she has the ability to hear complete melodies in her head.  As a singer, her Venus (ruler) is in the 12th House, so she sings from deep within, and the Moon loosely conjunct Pluto shows the incredible depth of her emotion she expresses when she is singing.   In one of her  interviews this week, she told how her grand-daughter is a promising young singer.

Relationships

Barbra’s first marriage was to Elliott Gould in 1963 who she met while appearing in a musical comedy in 1962, with transiting Jupiter trine her natal Mars (favourable for meeting men) and Pluto trine her natal Mercury.  They divorced in 1971, but had a son Jason, who is now an actor.

They separated in 1969 and then followed a cavalcade of relationships and admirers, which included Pierre Trudeau (two year relationship), Don Johnson (one year), Richard Gere (brief relationship), Clint Eastwood (brief), Andre Agassi (two years), Liam Neeson (briefly), Jon Voight (also brief).  She also reveals in her book that Prince Charles and Marlon Brando found her very attractive.

She has been married to actor James Brolin since 1998.  They do not have children together, but they had a dog Sammie, which she has had cloned three times.  She is a Democrat, through and through.

What a sparkling read the book promises to be, when I receive it, hopefully tomorrow!

“This is a dangerous time in this nation, this republic: a man who is corrupt and indecent and is assaulting our institutions. It’s really, really frightening. And I just pray that people who are compassionate and respect the truth will come out and vote. I’m saying more than just vote. Vote for Democrats!”

~ Barbra Streisand, October 2018

Next Week: Strictly Come Dancing – Part 3

Aspects

The New Moon at 20 degrees Scorpio arrives tomorrow morning, enabling a new start to the new week.  This can be seen as a sign of Regeneration.  There may be a certain amount of letting go required, before the fresh start can be established.

In the afternoon, Uranus opposes the Sun, which will require new insight, resolve and conviction.  You have to get with the programme, or be left behind.  Maybe you are challenged by an upgrade on your phone, and can’t use it until you sort it out!

On Wednesday (15th) Mercury sextiles Venus, a combination that aims to please.  This favours socializing and conversing, and creative forms which combine art and writing.  There is potential for negotiation in diplomatic efforts (hopefully helping the peace effort, though it is not a major aspect, so in baby steps), and harmony and agreement between kindred spirits.  Ideal for cafe culture.

We have a subtly harmonious trine in the morning of Friday (17th) in the shape of Mars trine Neptune.  Under this aspect the peaceful spiritual warrior can flourish skilfully.  You can combine your passions with your spiritual path.  Meditation with movement is favoured, e.g. yoga, tai chi and qijong.  Peaceful demonstrations also chime well with this aspect.

By early afternoon, its beneficent action is reinforced by another trine, that between the Sun and Neptune.  So it’s a positive day for the expression of spirituality.  The Sun trine Neptune, enhances the  inspiration of the first trine even further.  It promises a graceful day:   expand your consciousness, and allow your imagination to embellish your work, or project in hand.

Saturday (18th) looks more challenging, perhaps in a similar way to the management of the marches which took place this weekend in London, for the Sun conjoins with Mars early in the morning, at 25 degrees Scorpio.  This may be confrontational, but is also an aspect under which  you can get things done.  “Action” is the word.  It is not a great day to be taking risks, however.

The week in bullet points:

  • Tomorrow – new beginning; an element of the unexpected
  • Wednesday – cafe culture
  • Friday – the peaceful warrior; creative inspiration
  • Saturday – dynamic, but caution needed
Date: Nov 12th, 2023 · Comments RSS · Tags: Book Review · Celebrities