With my son away I find myself able to enjoy the luxuries of adult life again. Late night television is one such delight. I am particularly enjoying BBC1, which has been sending some brilliant films out after midnight. One such film was “Frida” which I somehow managed to miss in the cinema. What a little gem of a movie. Wonderful. This led me to look a bit deeper into the character of the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo – whose life the film portrays. As always my starting point is the horoscope. Because honestly, do you know any other means of taking such an indepth view of someone’s psyche??? Because I don’t. The horoscope of Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo (6 July 1907, Koyoacan, Mexico, time unknown) was one of those exceptional people who have the capacity to transcend suffering. Frida had polio as a child which left one of her legs smaller than the other. Then on September 17th 1925 she was involved in an accident with a trolley car which broke her spine in three places, broke her pelvis, her collarbone…etc. etc. etc.
Frida Kahlo began painting when recovering from this accident. For several months she was forced to lie in bed wearing a full body plaster cast. For the rest of her short life – she died when she was in her forties – she suffered as a result of these injuries. Frida Kahlo married the famous Mexican mural painter Diego Rivera, who was twenty years her senior. A notorious womaniser they divorced after he got involved with Frida’s sitster only to remarry a year later. When Frida died, Diego Rivera said that the most wonderful part of his life was his love for her.
The first thing that strikes me in the horoscope of Frida Kahlo is the Sun, Neptune conjunction. I have often found that in horoscopes where the Sun is closely linked with Neptune there is a theme that revolves around transcendance. Depending on the chart of course and the other aspects – I often see a theme that revolves around suffering. Sometimes this has nothing to do with the person themselves, but is linked to troubles that stem from the people close to them, a sick partner or child for example. Neptune affords such people a way out – but it’s a way out that is either transcendental, religious, artistic or sometimes drug induced. But certainly Neptune seems to be the hallmark of Frida Kahlo’s life. She suffered for her art.
Quite apart from the Sun/Neptune conjunction – there is also the close opposition from Mars conjunct Uranus in Capricorn in the horoscope of Frida Kahlo. There is little solace to be found in Mars conjunct Uranus for a troubled Sun/Neptune personality. Mars in Capricorn lends ambition and makes hard, tough. Frida’s bi-sexuality probably has its roots in this conjunction. Uranus adds eccentricity the need to be different from the rest. Here in opposition to Sun/Neptunes it makes radical and adds a sense of danger and excitement to life. This was an exciting time to live in Mexico. It was a time of revolution and danger. The connection to the transpersonal planets indicates this. Events beyond the person’s control exercise influence over the life. Incidentally, it is known that Frida Kahlo had a love affair with the exiled communist leader,Leon Trotski who was later assasinated. Both Frida and Diego were themselves communists.
Note here too the creative planet Venus which is placed in the double bodied sign Gemini and in conjunction with Pluto. Many of the personal planets in this chart are touched by the transpersonal planets. Here Venus/Pluto suggests depth, psychological insight, inspiration that has been drawn up from the dark layers of the psyche. There is infidelity here, there is flirtatiousness here, there is fear and dread here.
Saturn squats in the watery Pisces and through his malevolent squares to Venus/Pluto adds a compulsive element to the creative process. This is self-expression that is passionate and the violence that is often seen in her work, finds its roots in this square. This is all the pain of her love-life in addition to all the physical pain she suffered.
When I look at Frida Kahlo’s horoscope it is like looking at an x-ray of the personality behind the paintings. It is like seeing the bare bones of character. What a truly wonderful tool astrology is.