David Attenborough

“If we save the sea, we save our world.”

~ David Attenborough, 2025

David Attenborough’s 100th birthday was celebrated this week, allegedly against his wish to spend it quietly at home. He certainly doesn’t look his age! I have written two blogs (2020 and 2025) about him over the years, and so will draw upon those, while updating from his more recent history as well as having the luxury of looking a little more deeply at some areas of his life and thought.  He probably is the greatest national treasure we have, possibly even an international treasure.  All the animals in the world would probably vote for him…!  It was a special delight this week to see a reply of his original up-close-and-personal encounter with gorillas at the beginning of his broadcasting career, in 1970.

Birth Chart

Here was my description of his birth chart in 2020:

“His Sun is in Earth sign Taurus [The Conservationist Archetype], and he has done more to illuminate Life on Earth than anyone.  At the age of 94, he has made a huge contribution to its study, which is impossible to exaggerate.  Taurus also gives him a great deal of grounding.  His Sun is opposed by Saturn, so he feels a huge weight of responsibility, which he carries and conveys admirably.  His Sun is also square Neptune, showing great sensitivity… emphasizing the role of the oceans in his life and work.  With the Sun sextile Pluto, what he has to say is always profound, and this is given extra karmic weight with a conjunction between Pluto and the North Node, and a sextile between the North Node and the Sun.  His has been an extraordinary destiny.  His Moon conjuncts Venus, giving him great tenderness, and you can see that through some of his animal commentaries.  His Moon conjunct Uranus gives him imagination and the power to surprise through the expression of emotion, which, placed in Pisces, contains a great deal of compassion too.  Mercury is sextile Jupiter in his chart, showing breadth of mind and vastness of travel… Jupiter shows the scale of his life plan and contribution, and placed in Aquarius it hints at the extent of his futuristic vision, where he has always had his finger on the pulse of what would happen to our planet.  Mercury exactly trine Neptune gives him acute mental sensitivity, and the ability to channel higher frequencies of thought.  With Mercury conjunct Chiron, he’s a problem-solver…  With Saturn closely square Neptune he is very sensitive to the interface and relationship between the Earth and her Waters.”

Life and Career

Up to my 2025 blog:

David Attenborough was born in Isleworth on 8th May 1926.  His father was principal on the campus of Leicester University, which is where he grew up.  His older brother Richard (Attenborough) pursued the path of acting and directing in film.  As a child, David collected fossils, stones and natural specimens.  At the age of 10, the brothers attended a lecture at De Montfort Hall, Leicester, about conservation, and according to Richard, his brother was smitten with the subject, and the need for action to maintain ecological balance.  David won a scholarship to Clare College, Cambridge, in 1945 and studied geology and zoology.  After obtaining a degree in natural sciences, two years later he was called up for national service and served in the Royal Navy for two years.

He then undertook a three-month training course with the BBC, and was taken on in the Talks department.  In 1954 he fronted a programme called “Zoo Quest”, around the time of his Saturn Return, a time when life patterns can be cemented.  In 1965 he became Controller of BBC 2.  He began to make occasional films abroad, and in 1971, he found himself in a first expedition to a remote part of New Guinea seeking out a lost tribe – a classic hallmark David Attenborough production.  This reflected his North Node in Cancer (karmic mission centring around indigenous populations). He was promoted in 1969 to be responsible as director for both BBC channels, but resigned in 1972 because that role was taking him away from what he really wanted to do, make natural history programmes: his progressed Sun at the time was trine his natal Mars (asserting his will in the direction of what he really wanted to do).  He began to work on “Life on Earth”, a project which came to fruition in 1979.

His transits at the time were very karmic: Pluto was square his natal Nodal Axis (a hard fought karmic fulfilment); Saturn was sextile his natal Pluto (a serious life work); and the North Node was sextile his natal North Node, very karmic (the world karma aligned with his own personal karma).

Documentaries

I enumerated some of his work in 2020, and have now brought it up to date:

“He has made legions of documentaries for the BBC over the decades.  Here is a timeline of a few of those, which you may remember fondly depending on your generation:

1979 – Life on Earth

1984 – The Living Planet

1995 – The Private Life of Plants

2001 – The Blue Planet

2017 – Blue Planet II

2020 – Extinction

2025 – Ocean

2026 – Secret Garden

2026 – Gorilla Story

Jupiter opposite Neptune

From my 2025 blog:

Jupiter opposite Neptune in his birth chart merits a close look, if only to look at where this legend is coming from spiritually.  Jupiter in a chart represents religion, and Neptune represents spirituality.  An opposition in the birth chart often represents an ambiguity, a not-knowing, or in David Attenborough’s case, an avowed agnosticism.  In some it can create confusion, but he exhibits the higher or highest manifestation of this combination: an ability to balance and possibly merge the two.

He has said:

“My view is: I don’t know one way or the other but I don’t think that evolution is against a belief in God.”

and

“It never really occurred to me to believe in God”.

plus

“If there is a supreme being then he chose organic evolution as a way of bringing into existence the natural world”.

In addition, I wrote in 2016: “He describes himself as agnostic, and maybe he doesn’t need religion as he is well and truly ‘doing his bit’ for the planet.”

He believes that evolution is the best way of explaining the diversity of life.  He firmly believes in the Darwinian way of thinking, and is opposed to Creationism and its offshoot Intelligent Design.

Politics

In 1998 David Attenborough described himself as a “standard, boring left-wing liberal”.

In 2014 he declared himself opposed to the break away referendum in Scotland.

In 2015 he was enthusiastic about the election of Caroline Lucas of the Green Party as M.P.

In 2020 he spoke about excess capitalism holding back ecological imbalance.

In 2021 he emphasized that tackling climate change was a primary challenge.

The Last Year

Sir David has continued to work at his normal pace, with no signs of slowing down.  Two new documentaries mark this special year: Secret Garden, and Gorilla Story.

A special gala concert was held in his honour on Friday night at the Albert Hall, centred around the music of his many television series, where he was seated beside Prince William, and received a birthday card from King Charles.

Other legends in his field such as Jane Goodall were more specialized, but David’s work took him all over the globe, and to creatures great (such as whales) and small (such as insects).  Those interviewed on couches this week testified to how delightful he is as a person for those lucky enough to work with him.  He is a great human on a personal level, not just a warrior for the natural world.

“People write to me that evolution is only a theory. Well, it is not a theory. Evolution is as solid a historical fact as you could conceive.”

~ David Attenborough

Aspects

Tomorrow (May 11th) the Sun will be sextile with Jupiter, a pleasant prospect!  It can bring new hope and joy.  It is one of the brightest  aspects of the year.  Focus on what makes you happy, and make more of that.  It may bring the return of an enjoyable leisure pursuit.  Just an observation, that it can correlate with a peaceful protest or backlash in the population.  It may be helpful in legal matters.

Another Jolly Jupiterian sextile on Wednesday (13th): that between Mercury and Jupiter, occurring in the early hours of the morning.  Sextiles ensure more ease and harmony and this one encourages mental development and learning (if you are on a course of study, for instance), and is helpful to businesses in need of a lift.  If you are learning a new language, you may experience a shift and take off with it!  It will also be favourable for the teaching profession.  If you are travelling, remember St. Christopher is with you.  This aspect will especially benefit Geminians and Virgos.

There are two aspects on Saturday (16th), the first of which is a conjunction between Mars and Chiron at 28 degrees Aries.  This conjunction can bring up old emotional wounds for attention, and release. These may have a past-life pattern (either in this life or a past life).  You may walk away from an encounter feeling touched (Mars conjunct Chiron), while someone else may be nursing an unseen wound. Make sure you are in integrity with yourself.

Healing during the day may pay dividends in the evening, when there is a New Moon at 25 degrees Taurus.  A fresh start is possible.  The fresh start may be in the Taurean realm of cooking, gardening, art, music or money.  Make the most of this wishing Moon, as it could be a turning point.  Make good your intentions, and make your intentions good.  Astrologer Adam Elenbaas emphasizes the potential of this New Moon to practise receiving.  What is it you would like to receive?  If it is your birthday, it is a particularly special occasion.  There is also an alignment with the fixed star Algol, which some astrologers deem to be difficult, in tradition thought.  A more upbeat interpretation comes from Michael Smulkis and Fred Rubenfeld in “Starlight Elixirs”, stating:

“Algol’s ability to prepare individuals for understanding their destiny, their life purpose, and the ability to manifest this purpose more easily in the world, this is at once spiritual and practical.  For most people what will usually result is an ability to understand their profession and accept it more easily.

Algol can attune individuals to harmonies deep within their being.  These are partly genetic in nature, partly past-life in nature, but more importantly are in attunement to the shared soul of the lifestream of humanity.  When this occurs there is a natural re-emergence of awareness of life purpose, direction, and there is a natural re-emergence of awareness of life purpose, direction, and choices that individuals have made for their own development.”

What new perceptions may be in store?  You never know, there may even be a re-branding of the star Algol, itself.

The week in bullet points:

  • Tomorrow – a pleasant prospect
  • Wednesday – more jollity
  • Saturday – release emotional wounds: a new beginning
Date: May 10th, 2026 · Comments RSS · Tags: Aspects · Celebrities