Dolly Parton: From Dirty Poor to Country’s Queen!

(This article was published in "AstroLogic" e-magazine, on November 1st, 2015)

We are so deeply ingrained with the people that we consider (even unconsciously) iconic in our lives that losing them is like losing a piece of ourselves. We wish they would last forever, but when their time comes, we are suddenly reminded of how fleeting time can be. 

In recent weeks, rumors about Dolly Parton’s health have drifted across headlines, stirring a wave of concern for the woman who gave us so many cherished songs, a woman who seemed till now untouchable by time. And we got particularly preoccupied when her sister urged the public to pray for her. However, in a recent video, Dolly herself disputed claims that she was nearing the end of her life. Actually, she appeared in rather good shape in the video. And in any case, a Capricorn like her is far more resilient than people think. 

                                                  Her story, her chart 

Nowadays, we would consider inconceivable the conditions under which Dolly Parton was born and raised, as those conditions could mostly be found in a third-world country. She was born in Sevier County, Tennessee, amid the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. She was the fourth of twelve children; all crammed into a small cabin. Maybe we can picture our protagonist growing up in an environment of destitution, lacking even the essential goods. 

But Dolly’s saving grace was her melodious voice! She began gaining recognition as a vocalist at a very young age. First in the chorus of the church her parents attended, and then on local radio and TV shows. 

After high school, she moved to Nashville to pursue her dream of being a country music star. Her breakthrough came in the late 1960s with Porter Wagoner’s show, which introduced her to national audiences. Hits like Jolene and I Will Always Love You soon crowned her one of country music’s iconic voices. 

Aside from music, she proved to be a successful businesswoman, owning the famous Dollywood theme park in her home state, as well as a multimedia empire. The “dumb blond” has also formed several charity and philanthropic organizations, the most notable of which is the Dollywood Foundation, which manages a number of programs aimed at bringing education and poverty assistance to Tennessee, where she grew up. 

Let’s take a look now at Dolly Parton’s natal chart: she was born on January 19, 1946, in Sevierville, Tennessee. Her time of birth is 8:25 p.m. 

Her Sun is in the earthy, cardinal sign of Capricorn. We are having here a quite pragmatic, disciplined, and goal-oriented Sun. A Sun that equips people with maturity, responsibility, and acute reasoning. Capricorn Sun people are resilient and can endure many hardships. They are particularly laborious and crafty. On the downside, they might be a little bit pessimistic and somewhat stiff, especially when they interact with people on a personal level. 

Her Moon is in the earthy, mutable sign of Virgo. That’s a very practical, diligent, cerebral, and analytical Moon. These individuals often seek order and structure in life, can be perfectionists, and may struggle with self-criticism. Still, they have a profound desire to help and serve others. Often health-conscious and quite attentive to their diet and the kind of food they are eating. At times, stress might overwhelm them, particularly when they are idle.

 
                                    
Her Ascendant is the earthy, mutable sign of Virgo. A woman with a Virgo Ascendant might have the look of a young maiden even in her later years. She somehow exudes a pure, immaculate energy and a polite and modest demeanor. A Virgo Ascendant is ever asking (silently) the people around him/her, “How can I assist you?” 

                             A comprehensive analysis of Dolly Parton’s chart 

Overall, Parton’s horoscope is dominated by the element earth. All of her big threes (Sun, Moon, and Ascendant) are in earthy signs (Capricorn and Virgo). Believe it or not, this seems to have had a significant influence on Dolly becoming the queen of country music. You see, country music is extremely popular in rural areas, where people live in intimate contact with the earth (farmers, inhabitants of villages and small provincial towns). In theory, the element of earth should prevail in the horoscopes of rural people. Therefore, it would be normal for them to admire and cherish an overly earthy singer like Dolly Parton. 

The premise I just made, though, has a drawback. Except for the (Venusian) sign of Taurus (which does not appear in Dolly’s chart), the earthy signs are not thought to be very artistic or shining. But, without a question, Parton is both. She is an exceptionally creative artist. She is also photogenic enough to pull all eyes on her, whether on stage or off. Why? 

Let me explain why: we just discussed how ideal it would be in a chart to have a Venusian influence for someone to be an artist. Well, it so happens that our Jolene has a gorgeous Sun-Venus conjunction (a highly creative combo) in Capricorn. That configuration is artistic on its own. Furthermore, her Sun and Venus are both falling in her Fifth House, which is considered the horoscope’s natural lighthouse. Her Sun, in particular, is omnipotent in this specific House. It gives the individual some unique expressive abilities while it emits a bright blaze of light around it. It is the Sun of a truly gifted and radiant performer. 

But the artistic features of Dolly’s charts don’t stop there. Her Virgo Moon is in the Twelfth House, which is an extremely sensitive, ethereal, and imaginative House. And it is exactly this Virgoan/12th House Moon of hers that makes her a dedicated philanthropist, as she has donated to a number of charities. In addition, the planet Neptune in her First House (most probably) further increases her artistic predisposition. 

Two more key elements in Parton’s chart, that I believe acted in tandem, are, on the one hand planet Jupiter, which is squaring her iconic Sun-Venus conjunction, and on the other hand, planet Uranus in conjunction with her pivotal MC. Both are progressive and liberating elements, alright, but they may also elicit exaggeration and a certain extravaganza to the individual (older readers might recall, i.e., Dolly’s unusual, elongated helmet hairstyle, in her earliest appearances). 

Parton indeed contributed an element of innovation and advancement to the country music landscape from the very first moment she entered the scene. Being a composer herself, she was bold enough to fuse pop and rock elements into conventional country music. And with her free-spirited lyrics and overall lifestyle, she somehow instigated the emancipation of the women of the rural areas all over the United States. 

                               Dolly Parton’s current astrological influences 

 Dolly is currently experiencing a rather heavy influence from planet Pluto, which is in close conjunction with her Sun. Pluto has passed in Aquarius, alright, but it is still forming a powerful conjunction with her Sun, which is in the final degree of Capricorn. Dolly’s life appears to have taken a drastic turn in recent years that we are not aware of. She might have gone through a sort of profound metamorphosis that was likely accompanied by a great deal of anguish and pain. However, as time goes on, Pluto will move further away from her Sun, which may alleviate her situation. 

Dolly’s Moon, too, might be aggravated by the two Quincunx aspects that it is receiving from transiting Pluto on the one hand and by the notorious Saturn-Neptune duet on the other. These two Quincunxes over Parton’s Moon place significant physical and mental pressures on her, prompting her to make some important readjustments in her life. But I’m not sure she has the stamina by now to make those tedious readjustments, given Pluto’s transit over her Sun may have already depleted her energy stores. 

I am also focusing on her Progressed Moon that has just entered Leo and is about to form a partile conjunction with her natal Pluto in May-June 2026. Her Progressed Sun will be also forming then a partile Square aspect with her natal Mars - Saturn duet! So, the summer of 2026 might turn out to be a particularly critical period for our rhinestones queen. 

There are, of course, many more elements to study in Parton’s chart, but this is a limited-space article. Thus, I chose to present to you the components that I considered the most important.

Thomas Gazis
Copyright: Thomas D. Gazis

Are we headed towards a new ''Reign of Terror''? (A ''double-whammies'' overdrive!)

The officially declared war between the United States and Israel against Iran was heralded long ago, astrologically speaking. As most astrologers wrote, it took place during a volatile Square aspect between Mars in Aquarius and Uranus in Taurus. But that's just a part of the whole picture! 

Υou see, there is more to this Mars squaring Uranus aspect than meets the eye! In reality, this is a ''double-whammy'' configuration! Planet Mars is in the sign of Aquarius (which is ruled by Uranus) and at the same time Mars is forming a rather tight aspect with planet Uranus (the ruler of Aquarius)! Can you see that? Too much Martian - Aquarian/Uranian energy unleashed there... 

And of course, if we add to the mix the fact that Mars is hovering now over the very same degree the recent Aquarian Solar Eclipse took place at, we become aware of the situation's "explosivity." 

I would also add the rather rare Aquarian Stellium that was formed just a few weeks ago. As I discussed in a related post, that Stellium is reminiscent of the 1962 Aquarian Stellium, which appears to have put mankind on the point of a nuclear holocaust (due to the Cuba crisis). And in these last few days ever more social media posts are discussing again the possibility of a nuclear holocaust...

We are not done yet, though, with ''double-whammies''! The most powerful of the current ''double-whammy'' series has just started forming up on our skies and is about to crescendo in the upcoming months! I am talking of the ''Pluto in Aquarius - Uranus Trining Pluto'' configuration!  

Trines are considered positive alright but still there is a ''double-whamminess'' element behind the afore-mentioned configurations! We shouldn't forget that we are dealing here with quite advanced, ''transcendental'' energies, that we do not know how will they manifest! 

When was it the last time in human history that we had a similar ''Pluto in Aquarius - Pluto aspecting Uranus'' ''double-whammy'' configuration? Well, back in the distant 1793 CE, at the height of the French revolution, that is! 

If you have a romantic idea about the French revolution you should re-consider it! That was one of the most violent and chaotic periods in human history! Especially in the period 1793-94! What started as a more or less social uprise in 1789 it gradually degenerated into an all-pervading wave of violence and chaos! Tens of thousands of (often innocent) French citizens were deemed, by fast-track trials, "enemies of the Revolution" and were executed at the famous "Guillotine"! 

And we are now headed towards a rather similar ''zeitgeist''! Let's hope that the Uranus-Pluto trine aspect will yield more favorable outcomes this time!

Thomas D. Gazis

Copyright: Thomas D. Gazis 

Political assassinations in plain sight (Pluto in Aquarius)!

One of the main tasks of the Mundane Astrologers is to grasp the broader significance of the events that are taking place around them, effectively identifying the actual astrological configurations that prompted those events. That's not simple, because when we perceive events in the heat of the moment we cannot easily make sense of their greater meaning.

Take, for example, the high-profile political assassinations (or attempted ones) that are taking place in our times. There have been numerous of them (and their impact was remarkable), so we should not dismiss them as merely casual events. They seem to be the product of the "spirit of the times" (zeitgeist) and our task is to identify the specific astrological configuration/ons that triggered those events! I personally believe Pluto in Aquarius is the primary instigator of those fatal events! 

Back in 2014 I had published an article titled: When Hades reached the top of the firmament (the "dark" 2010 - 2020 decade)!  In that article I was stressing the fact that Pluto (which actully is the god of the underwold) had just reached the "Word's MC", entering for the first time after two centuries and a half in the uppermost, "collective" quadrant of the zodiac! That was a rather important occurrence, in my point of view!

I was further expanding my thoughts in my article The astrological causes of the grim "zeitgeist" running now through Europe!  I was positing that when the "transcendental" planets (Uranus - Neptune - Pluto)  are reaching the MC and consequently are transiting along the collective signs (the ones located in the last quadrant of the zodiac: Capricorn - Aquarius - Pisces) they are producing potent repercussions on our societies - far more so than when transiting in any other quadrant of the zodiac!

Regarding Pluto, I was writing back then: "the sign of Capricorn is somehow rapresenting the structured and organized societies - our urban landscape, our cities. And Pluto (the "grim ripper", the bearer of primeval fear) is transiting for 9 years now in the sign of Capricorn (and over the "World's MC"). Additionally, Pluto is a planet intimately connected to the masses and to the tragic collective events" 

My overall conclusion was that as Pluto / Hades is transiting in our days in the "uppermost" collective/societal signs, our societies will become "darker" and death will begin to emerge more in public spaces! This is particularly pertinent now, as Pluto is transiting in Aquarius, the "fixed" sign of the societal triad. And as Aquarius is directly linked to politics, with Pluto in Aquarius we are witnessing political assassinations in plain sight (and probably we will keep witnessing them, as long as Pluto will be transiting Aqurius)!     

But wait a minute... We all know that the most high-profile political assassinations in modern history occurred in the 1960s. Pluto definitely wasn't in Aquarius back then (actually, it was in Virgo). Does this imply that the "Pluto in Aquarius fosters political assassinations in plain sight" theory is invalid? Well, not exactly.

You see, the highest-profile political assassinations of the 1960s occurred between 1963 and 1968. Astrologically speaking, these specific years were "marked" by the seminal Uranus - Pluto Conjunction! Pluto was not in Aquarius alright but it was conjoining Uranus, the very ruler of Aquarius!

Thomas Gazis
Copyright: Thomas D. Gazis 

Neptune in Aries: Loss of individuality!

Neptune is entering Aries tomorrow but still I feel that we haven't grasped the full meaning of this event. You see, Neptune's nature is quite elusive and the fact that this hyper-collective planet is entering now a sign of extreme individuality (Aries) confuses matters even further.

I was watching the other day the movie "The Day After Tomorrow". It depicts a chain of catastrophic climatic effects that unexpectedly ushered our planet in a new ice age! People living away from the Equator were freezing to death and only a few well sheltered and heated survived!

A group of survivors had sought refuge in the New York Public Library. They were people from all walks of life, left faint and stunned in the face of unprecedented events of biblical proportions. Battered and helpless, these people were silently bearing their fate close to one another. What they previously used to be (rich, distinct, poor, etc.) mattered little under the current circumstances. Fate had brought them together, "levelling" them off and removing all traces of their former individualistic lives!

The above characteristics unquestionably reflect planet Neptune's influence in the sign of Aries!

Taking a historical look back into the past, I would like to point out that we had Neptune in Aries again in the 390s CE, when some bloody religious conflicts between Christians and pagans prevailed in Alexandria (conflicts vividly depicted in the film "Agora"). It was during this very period that the Christians destroyed the famous Serapeum temple!

Thomas Gazis
Copyright: Thomas D. Gazis

The 2025 "Plutonian" Presidential Inauguration!

(I wrote about this a couple of years ago, in some Facebook mundane astrology groups. In light of the upcoming Presidential Inauguration, I believe it is pertinent to publish the relevant content here as well.)

The Presidential Inauguration ceremonies appear to be purposefully tailored (possibly by freemasons) so that the President of the USA gets sworn in at about the time the Aquarius Sun (in the first degree of the sign) is culminating in the sky! We understand the cosmic and esoteric significance of such an event: the President of the USA is beginning his term of office with the Aquarian Sun above his head and in close proximity to the Inaugurtion's MC! So far, so good! This time though a quite different cosmic energy will permeate the relative ceremony, on the 20th of January 2025!

2026 - 2030: Humanity's Golden Era (according to Andre Barbault)!

I cannot stress enough the merit of the French mundane Astrologer Andre Barbault! He has made a number of accurate forecasts about international events, which came to pass. He is actually the only astrologer in the world who made a specific prediction about the 2020 pandemic (literally, he wrote that a pandemic might occur globally in 2020). He predicted (in books he authored decades ago) several major global events, like the massive crises of the communist regimes in 1989-1990, the rapid ascent of China and of other Asian countries between 2010 and 2025, and the fall of Europe in that same period!

The astrology of Doppelgangers!

Astrology moves in mysterious ways! Let's examine the case of the so called "doppelgängers". Two people that look alike should typically have nearly identical "big threes" (possibly, the same Sun sign, Moon sign, and Ascendant's sign). Well, not exactly.

Above you may see the man who is the "father" of "Ferrari", the revered luxurious car (on the left) and the German-turkish football player Mesut Ozil (on the right). I think they qualify as genuine doppelgangers (although born almost a whole century apart).

The Synastry of Kamala Harris with her husband Douglas Emhoff!

The current vice - President and her husband were born barely seven days apart (Douglas on the 13th and Kamala on the 20th of October 1964)!

This means that all their external planets - from Mars outwards - are forming a Conjunction aspect among them. We are talking here of six whole planets (Mars to Pluto) exchanging powerful energies through their Conjunctions and somehow boosting each other! This creates a strong feeling of "backbone commonality" between the two, similar to what classmates born in the same year experience.

The Synastry of Elon Musk and his dynamic transgender daughter Vivian!

(Although this case made headlines in 2022, I believe it is still relevant now.)

If you are experiencing financial burdens then the idea that even billionaires have their own issues may provide you some comfort! I refer to Elon Musk, who has a somewhat tumultuous relationship with his transgender daughter Vivian Wislon. Vivian became a lady by transitioning in 2022 and she also dropped her surname (Musk) in favor of her maternal surname (Wilson) - while she stated that she no longer wishes to be related to her father "in any way!"

Elon is a Cancer Sun sign and Vivian is an Aries Sun sign. As you know, the signs of Aries and Cancer are considered highly discordant. So we are having here a father and child who find it hard to comprehend each other's personality! And things are getting even harder if we take in consideration the fact that Vivian's Sun is forming a (wide) Square aspect with Elon's Ascendant and Mercury in Cancer! So, we are already having a major discordance there!

Pluto has returned to Capricorn!

The ultra-collective and somehow "fatal" planet Pluto exited today (Monday September 2nd at 3:17 AM, Eastern European time) the sign of Aquarius and returned to that of Capricorn! This is a major planetary shift! Each zodiacal "transition" of Pluto is considered extremely important. You see, this planet is considered the most "collective" of them all and exerts a huge influence on the masses and our societies in general. Hence, any change in Pluto's course affects our earthly affairs greatly.

As you most probably know, the planets operate more "externally" when they are in direct motion. When they become retrograde, though, they work more "internally", manifesting their energies in more subtle ways! In addition, a planetary retrogradation might bring back events from the recent past that have to be relived! And since Pluto is retrograde now, we may experience similar events as in the recent past. This time, though, we will have to experience these events more "internally", in order to "feel" them more deeply and fully assimilate their message.

Trump's assassination attempt (is Algol important?)

The news of the assassination attempt against the US presidential candidate Donald Trump dominates all over the media today. Although it would have been more valuable if someone had predicted this particular event BEFORE it happened, we see that there are indeed strong astrological indications now in Trump's chart of a possible attempt against him!

The main clue seems to come from the extremely flammable and explosive Mars-Uranus Conjunction that is taking places these days (and which "mathematically" peaks on July 15th)! This Conjunction is "falling" right on Trump's MC (in one of the most vitalt points of a birth chart! Our MC is closely related to the overall "structure" of ourselves, to our wider professional/social interactions and with our public image!)

The importance of getting along with our own selves (Second House)!

We are "conditioned" to expect love to come into our lives through other people. That's an inherent "pattern" ingrained in us during our childhood, when our parents or other primary caregivers were the ones providing us with love and care. And although we might not be fully aware of it, we are so thoroughly "programmed" by this pattern, that even as adults we ever long for some cherubic "third party" to come into our lives and start loving us unconditionally! 

As the old adage goes, you can't love other people unless you love yourself first. However, there is a problem there, since most people don't seem to get along with themselves! That comes as a bit of a surprise, considering that people in general are quite egocentric and are thus supposed to take the very best care of themselves. But, as if they were plagued by some mysterious virus, they don't! On the contrary, they often are at war with themselves, acting in a self-loathing and destructive manner.

The better the astrologer, the less deterministic the predictions s/he makes!

I think all of us who practice astrology have gone through this phase: to interpret astrological data in a rather rigid, "deterministic" manner. Studying i.e. a chart and concluding that because the person has such and such planetary positions (aspects, domifications etc.) then s/he unquestionably has such and such traits in his/her character, while a specific set of events will befall him/her in the near (or distant) future!

An astrological perspective on a possible Civil War in the United States

As you may know, the so-called transcendental planets (Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto) play a major part in Mundane Astrology. Every single variation of theirs, every new aspect they form, and notably their eventual sign shift, may provide us with crucial information about humanity's future course. 

There is, however, another important but lesser-known feature of the transcendental planets: the "resonance" of their orbits. I've been researching that feature for some years now and I firmly believe it's a quite useful element in the "mundane astrology" toolkit.

Pluto in Aquarius: the dictatorship of the "commonness" and of the "abnormal" (and your money do not belong to you)!

The majority of astrologers considers Pluto's upcoming entrance into the sign of Aquarius as a "positive thing". Probably because they tend to link Aquarius with an impending "golden age"! As a result, they mostly make optimistic predictions like "a new brighter era will dawn," "the common people will rebel against their autocratic rulers" and so on.

What those astrologers overlook is the fact that the "Pluto in Aquarius" "equation" has two coefficients: Aquarius AND Pluto! So, on the one hand Pluto is (somehow) "activating" the sign of Aquarius alright, but on the other hand it is simultaneously attempting to impose its "tenebrious vibrations" on the sign of Aquarius! That's crucial and unless we take that aspect into consideration, we will not be able to interpret Pluto in Aquarius correctly.

The eminent Byzantine astrologer John Abramius

Byzantine astrology is rather unknown among the general public. In fact, many people might be surprised to find out that Byzantine astrology even existed. It did, though, and it was marvelous!

Byzantium was somehow a continuation of the Hellenistic world, so astrology was a natural part of its tradition. Additionally, the Byzantines were geographically close to the Persians and Arabs - who themselves had adopted and developed the Hellenistic astrology. Consequently, Byzantium became a particularly fertile ground for the dissemination of astrological ideas, at the time.

Some of the most competent astrologers of that era originated in this part of the world. Among them was John Abramius, whom I am sharing with you in this article. Aside from his skills as an astrologer, Abramius kickstarted what we might call a “tardive Byzantine astrological school"! Its influence was such that even illustrious figures, such as Cardinal Isidore of Kiev, studied astrology there!

The Mars- Uranus - North Node conjunction in Taurus (Empires crumbling down)!

                          

In just a few hours we are going to experience the major event of this month, August 2022 (and one of the major events of the entire 2022): the Mars - Uranus - North Node partile Conjunction, at the 19th degree of Taurus! 

I did a little research, in order to find out when this specific conjunction was repeated again in the past 3400 years - combined with the presence of Saturn in Aquarius. Only two dates came out: February 9th, 156 BCE and the period around June 1520 (when Mars, Uranus and the North Node were in Taurus alright, but not in a partile configuration). That's quite remarkable! The Mars - Uranus - North Node conjunction in Taurus (alongwith Saturn in Aquarius) has re-occurred just twice, in the last 3400 years!

Our "airplane" (the "West") is nosediving - but we think we are flying fine!

Throughout history, the empires seem to be ever shifting from East to the West! Starting with what we consider the oldest known empires, the Mesopotamian and Egyptian ones, the "world hegemony" was consequently taken over by the Hellenistic Empire, by the Roman Empire, by the Frankish one and - later on - by the Spanish and the English empires! Then, the center of power shifted further westwards and USA became the strongest world empire! And apparently the time has come for the "world hegemony" to shift even further westwards, to China! 

Such discussions are often held on the internet. But most of us are treating them as if they concerned some distant future event. Few people realize that this "changing of hegemony" process is happening right now, right in front of our own eyes!

The 500 years mega-resonance planetary cycle (and the irrevocable degradation of Europe)!

"Europe" by Justus van Egmont

I was watching the other day a video of a brilliant Greek geopolitical analyst (Constantine Grivas) who was positing that the current war in Ukraine is signalling - among other things - the definite ending of the 500 years European dominance over the world! Plus, it is signalling the irrevocable transformation of Europe into a "vassal continent", on the periphery of the new geopolitical protagonists of the world!

Crimea 1853 vs. Ukraine/Crimea 2021: will history repeat itself?

Chances are you have never heard of the 1853 Crimea war. But out of some odd circumstances you might soon start watching on your TV/PC screen the brand new Crimea (and Ukraine) 2021 war, which most probably will be eerily similar to the 1853 one! Almost the same military powers will be involved in it! Russia from the one side and on the other side Turkey, alongwith the NATO alliance (comprising USA, UK and to some extent France).

If you do the math, you will realize that there are exactly 168 years seperating 2021 from 1853! But this number of years is significant to both astronomy and astrology! You see, it takes exactly 168 years for the planet Uranus to orbit twice the Sun (and thus, to cross twice the zodiac)! Plus, it takes almost 168 years (165 in reality) for Neptune to orbit the Sun and to cross once the zodiac!