{"id":8283,"date":"2025-03-02T12:28:06","date_gmt":"2025-03-02T12:28:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/?p=8283"},"modified":"2025-03-02T15:02:38","modified_gmt":"2025-03-02T15:02:38","slug":"aspects-for-the-week-beginning-2-march-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.lanawooster.co.uk\/?p=8283","title":{"rendered":"Aspects for the week beginning 2 March 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"

Roberta Flack (1937 \u2013 2025)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

“What I consider myself is a soulful singer, in that I try to sing with all the feeling that I have in my body and my mind.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

~ Roberta Flack<\/p>\n

The soul singer Roberta Flack died this week, at the age of 88.\u00a0 There was something about her voice I found profoundly soothing.<\/p>\n

Birth Chart<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Roberta was an Aquarian, with the Sun exactly square a conjunction of Moon and Mars.\u00a0 This gave her the Warrior Archetype, and she was an activist on behalf of black and women\u2019s rights.\u00a0 The conjunction was in her 10th<\/sup> House conjunct the Midheaven, so closely bound up with her career, and work in the world.\u00a0 She was friends with the activists Jesse Jackson, Maya Angelou, Yoko Ono and Angela Davies.\u00a0 Her Sun trined Chiron, and this is where the therapeutic quality of her voice came in.\u00a0 Her Moon in Scorpio was significant, giving her the deep emotion and soul quality which made her voice so moving.\u00a0 She was a positive force, with Moon\/Mars sextile Mercury\/Jupiter and trine Saturn.\u00a0 Mercury trine Neptune saw her channelling some divine frequency at times.\u00a0 Venus trine Pluto ensured that she gave her heart and soul to her voice work.\u00a0 Jupiter trined Neptune in her chart, and this describes the religion\/spirituality of her early singing in church.\u00a0 The difficulties in her life may be seen in her Mutable T-square of Saturn opposite Neptune square Chiron.\u00a0 Relationships may have been challenging, with Pluto on her Descendant, opposite a Capricorn Ascendant (she married in 1966 and divorced 6 years later).<\/p>\n

Life and Career<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Roberta Flack was born in North Carolina, into a large musical family, and sang in church in her early years, but was also a piano prodigy.\u00a0 At the age of 15 She won a full music scholarship to Howard University, where she changed her specialism from piano to voice, natal Venus in Aries in the 3rd<\/sup> House showing her personal expression.\u00a0 She went into teaching, in a variety of ways: it took her until her 30s to establish her career as a singer.<\/p>\n

Her voice teacher intervened in a significant way, as she had been singing in various styles, but Frederick Wilkerson told her that pop music would suit her voice more than the classics.\u00a0 She began to sing professionally in 1968.\u00a0 Joel Dorn arranged her first album recording that year with Atlantic Records.<\/p>\n

Her Voice<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The song \u201cThe First Time Ever I Saw Your Face\u201d was on that first album (\u201cFirst Take\u201d), and as luck and fate would have it, Clint Eastwood chose it as part of the soundtrack for his film \u201cPlay Misty For Me\u201d, which brought its success in 1972.\u00a0 I find it interesting to look at the synastry where people play a significant role in the course of another\u2019s life, and Clint\u2019s Moon exactly trined Roberta\u2019s natal Venus (musicality); his Pluto was exactly sextile her natal Neptune (a deep resonance between them); and his Chiron was on her I.C. in 5th<\/sup> House.\u00a0 They became lifelong friends.<\/p>\n

As for the iconic song itself, it had been written by Ewan MacColl, the father of Kirsty MacColl. His<\/em> birthchart reveals a talented songwriting sextile between Mercury and Venus.\u00a0 His Mercury was exactly trine Roberta\u2019s Chiron, and his Chiron was trine her Midheaven, healing connections.<\/p>\n

The song embodies the depth and gentleness of emotion (her Moon in Scorpio exactly conjunct the Midheaven; Venus trine Pluto) which has recently made it my go to song when stressing about Donald Trump(!).\u00a0 There is a particular version which she sang, recorded with an almost ethereal gentleness and sensitivity.<\/p>\n

The next year, 1973, saw her release another soul-searing song, \u201cKilling Me Softly with His Song\u201d, and with that her reputation as a first class singer was assured.\u00a0 This song was written by three songwriters: Charles Fox, Norman Gimbel I, and Lori Lieberman, and her voice is fuller on that song.\u00a0 It has the emotion and depth of the first song, and won awards in 1974.<\/p>\n

Such was the uniqueness of her voice that when critics compared it to that of Aretha Franklin she said: \u201cI am a black person who sings the way I do.\u00a0 I am not a black person who sounds anything like Aretha Franklin or like Chaka Khan.\u00a0 I shouldn\u2019t have to change in order to be who I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Guardian Obituary by Caroline Sullivan points out that:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe comparisons were unfair, anyway: Franklin\u2019s style had been forged in the Baptist church, whereas Flack had grown up as a restrained, hymn-singing Methodist.\u201d<\/p>\n

Roberta had a markedly quieter style, consciously and deliberately so.<\/p>\n

It may sound over-the-top to say her voice touched my life, but the truth is I had been playing her music recently, and after a break of a few days, played \u201cThe First Time Ever I Saw Your Face\u201d, at 4 pm (UK time) on the day she died (24th<\/sup> February).\u00a0 On the 6 pm BBC News we were told of her passing.<\/p>\n

Other Music<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Elton John was very taken with the gentleness of her version of \u201cBridge Over Troubled Water\u201d early in his career.\u00a0 He wrote to her \u201cDear Roberta, I have never heard anything this beautiful in years\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Other chart successes included “Feel Like Makin’ Love” in 1974, but she subsequently took a break from performing, but continued to record (with many collaborations) and spent time on supporting charitable causes.\u00a0 \u00a0In 1991 she had another hit with “Set the Night to Music.”<\/p>\n

In later years, she made versions of the songs of the Beatles (\u201cLet it Be Roberta\u201d album 2012), and Leonard Cohen.<\/p>\n

In 2020 she was awarded a lifetime achievement award at the Grammys.<\/p>\n

Health<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

She suffered a stroke in 2019, but was forced to give up performing in 2022 due to being diagnosed with motor neurone disease, which left her unable to sing.<\/p>\n

It was reported that she passed away peacefully surrounded by her family, after a heart attack.\u00a0 Her death coincided with her third Saturn Return in Pisces, in her 2nd<\/sup> House.<\/p>\n

Watching the Brits last night, there was nothing remotely resembling her music.\u00a0 It reminded me that every generation, and especially the teenagers whose enthusiasm drive new music, have their own energy to express.<\/p>\n

“Her voice touched, tapped, trapped, and kicked every emotion I’ve ever known. I laughed, cried, and screamed for more… she alone had the voice.”<\/em><\/p>\n

~ Les McCann<\/p>\n

Aspects<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In the early hours of this morning<\/u>, Venus was Stationary prior to turning Retrograde.\u00a0 This celestial event only occurs once in every 18 months.\u00a0 This betokens a time of reviewing relationships and finance.\u00a0 Although you may need to go over old ground, you can refer back to a time when a relationship was entirely harmonious, and what brought you together in the first place, when working towards improvements.<\/p>\n

This afternoon<\/u> we have a conjunction between Mercury and Neptune at 28 degrees Pisces (also forming an exact triple conjunction with the North Node at that point).\u00a0 This is not conducive to exacting and detailed mental work and documentation if that is what you planned; but it can favour dreams, mystical states and spirituality.\u00a0 They in turn can affect creativity, art and music in an inspired way.\u00a0 If you are feeling below par, you may experience added confusion or brain fog.\u00a0 Channelling is favoured.<\/p>\n

In the evening<\/u> Jupiter squares the Sun, an aspect which exaggerates everything it comes into contact with.\u00a0 There is also a joyful, humorous side of Sun square Jupiter, so some laughter-yoga in the evening would not go amiss!\u00a0 It could contribute to a fun day, but be aware of carelessness or overreaching goals.\u00a0 It could be a jolly scenario, with some over-the-top behaviour in the mode of “devil may care”.<\/p>\n

Tomorrow (Monday 3rd<\/sup>) Mercury enters Aries.\u00a0 Plain speaking replaces the flowery language of Mercury in Pisces.\u00a0 Mercury doesn\u2019t get far into Aries before turning retrograde mid-month, so try to achieve some dynamic mental work in the first half of March. Mercury in Aries favours mental work which is unemotional and without frippery, such as accountancy and tax returns.\u00a0 You will need to get to the point much more directly in your communications, and there is more sense of urgency about paperwork.\u00a0 If you feel overwhelmed by paperwork, stay in the moment and you may be able to stretch time.<\/p>\n

Wednesday (5th<\/sup>) brings a profound touch to your communications, with a sextile between Mercury and Pluto.\u00a0 It is a harmonious aspect which can produce profound, honouring the gravity of a situation if necessary, and enabling meaningful debate to occur.\u00a0 It is a good space for reading something profound.\u00a0 Maybe there is something in your pile of pending books you have been putting off, if so, now\u2019s the time to tackle it.<\/p>\n

The week is polished off on Saturday (8th<\/sup>) with a dynamic trine between the Sun and Mars.\u00a0 This may turbo-charge your activities, bringing new initiatives to your activities and objectives.\u00a0 Sporting interests can flourish, or any vigorous pursuits.\u00a0 Men, dogs and cars may flourish!).\u00a0 Aries and Leo Sun sign interaction may be highlighted.<\/p>\n

I would say it is not a day when peace may be established.\u00a0 But notably peace did not break out at the New Moon in Pisces last week, when some one-sided shouting occurred in the Oval Office.\u00a0 It could be that the confusion of the North Node\/Neptune conjunction was more powerful than the New Moon.\u00a0 Or it may be that the inflammatory energy of transiting Mars in Cancer in Donald\u2019s 11th<\/sup> House of Friendship was squaring his natal Jupiter in Libra in his 2nd<\/sup> House of Financial Aspiration.<\/p>\n

The week in bullet points:<\/p>\n