Same Day, Same Year

I looked up horoscopes of people born the same day, same year. I wanted to see the similarities in their lives and the differences. The next two cases are of two men born into two completely different backgrounds. The major difference is race but the family backgrounds are somewhat different too. One chart has the AA Rodden Rating, and the other a B rating. Both men have Sagittarius rising with a Cancer Moon. The difference in house placement shows Pluto in the 7th house in one chart and in the next chart Pluto is in the 8th house. Both men have Uranus in Aries in the 4th house, indicating some shake-ups at home, independence and individual lifestyle and a home setting that is different from the “norm”.

I will introduce these men and then chart important life patterns in each individual… This is an interesting study for me, and I want to see what it actually reveals about what astrology can and cannot predict.  I am hoping the B chart is right for this study, so I will go ahead with assuming this to be the case. It could turn out different but it’s the closest time to work off. I will contrast the two lives as best as I can. Some of the major life events may not line up, it is a bit of a test working both charts, but I love a challenge and I am always curious when it comes to Astrology.

I will start with the older cosmic brother by a few minutes and he is the living cosmic-twin, he is Robert Duvall, and he is an American actor and director. He is known as one of the greatest actors of all time and has done over 60 stage plays.

The younger astro-brother is Alvin Ailey he is an American black gay choreographer, dancer, director and the founder of the Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre; he has performed in movies and dramatic shows and was recognised as a major creative artist of his time.

Both charts show drive and ambition and a serious approach to life, with Sun-Mercury-Saturn all conjunct in the 1st house of the ‘self’ it represents the way an individual projects himself upon the environment.  What is noticeable through this configuration is that the powerful Saturn energy in the nativity shows the drive to build up success, and to use their energy constructively. Organizational ability, and need in both of them to become an authority (Saturn) figure (Sun) they both expect a lot of themselves and achievement is necessary. The counterpart to not succeeding with a Sun-Saturn contact is the feeling of failure and a personal let down that could create considerable depression and anxiety, but it’s probably the impetus that moves them forward in life.

Venus in Sagittarius in the 12th house forms a square to Neptune in the 9th house and shows an expansive artistic nature.  The aspect also points towards strong creativity and imagination (Neptune) and talent in the arts, e.g. gifted in music, drama, film, photography.  Both men are also highly dramatic and original shown by Mars in Leo trine Uranus in Aries, this is an innovative energy, and there is a love of freedom and expression.  Sexuality is also reflected in the 8th house of shared resources, and the expression of Mars in the 8th house really delves into the depths of creative expression and drive (Mars in Leo). Alvin was said to have revolutionized (Uranus) dance (Leo), but there also a rebellious nature and need for freedom that sharply contrasts their heavy Saturn nature. Both Sun and Jupiter square Uranus.

Early Background: Father Figure

 -Robert Duvall is the son of an actress and a war general.  The family are Christians. Growing up in a military family he moved various times across the country, he never settled in one area.

- Alvin Ailey was born to a 17-year-old mother, and he was only six months old when his father abandoned him. His mother moved across country picking and doing domestic work, before landing in Los Angels in 1942. When Ailey was 5 his mother was raped by a group of white men, leaving him afraid of whites. In his later years he developed a fierce black pride.

We see two different father figures (Sun), Robert's Dad is a strict authority (Saturn) at work. And Alvin lacks (Saturn) a father figure altogether and therefore has no physical role model to look up to. The military father would have worked long hours away from home. Saturn’s astrological keywords are: authority, time, hard-work, ambition, failure, anxiety, depression, and so on. In Alvin’s chart he was denied (Saturn) a father and his Dad  failed to live up to his responsibilities. I can’t judge how Robert Duvall’s father was at home, but we know some key Saturn points about him, he was ambitious and hardworking.  

In reality, all Sun-Saturn types are challenged to achieve their own sense of self-worth, achievement and excellence alone. It is one of the natal aspects that develops self-sufficiency. I have the Sun-Saturn opposition and I lost my father at 18 years old. He was a kind man but he did suffer from health problems due to arthritis which is a bone condition (Saturn), and it affected his legs and his ability to work. If I collect enough biographical information I will do an article on father figures for all the Sun aspects, and it will contain real life experiences, but it takes time to build this blog with data and examples.  However, the Sun is also opposite Pluto in both charts and this can show a powerful fatherly influence - present or not. Pluto rules abandonment, power, abuse, control, passion and drive, so these are the keywords we can associate with their father figures.   

Unsettled Home Life - Rape of Mother
 
Uranus in the fourth house signifies the regular moves in both of their lives. It also shows that they both need to assert independence and creative self-expression.  Uranus in the fourth house can’t follow the normal path of stability; they need to break-away from past conditioning and what family roles are expected of them.

The Moon-Pluto conjunction in the 8th house,  symbolizes Alvin's mother and her traumatic experience, this astrological pairing relates to issues of abuse, emotional terrorism (Moon-Pluto) and the abused black woman, and the power to heal emotional wounds. His powerful feelings are triggered around the mother and females in general.  I don’t know much about Duvall’s mother to comment, but Pluto falls in his seventh house rather than 8th. In 1936, when Alvin’s mother was raped transiting Pluto (abuse) conjoined his natal Moon exactly (Mother).

Notable Events

Both men have a different sexuality; Robert Duvall has had three marriages and adopted children and Alvin is Gay and I am not sure about his relationships. Alvin had a great career opportunity in 1953, when he took over the Horton Dance Company after the leader’s death.  No one stepped forward to take the role and so Alley became the creative director. At this time transiting Uranus (sudden) was conjunct Jupiter (Opportunity) cancer in the 7th house.  However, Uranus was around the 8th house cusp (death) and triggered the natal Jupiter-Pluto contact, so it describes the unexpected death (Uranus-Pluto) and the opportunity (Jupiter) to progress in his career. Those Jupiter-Uranus conjunctions are following me around lately.

Duvall was serving in the army and he left its constraints around the time of his own transit of Uranus over the Jupiter-Pluto natal configuration and he was freed-up to begin his studies in acting, so greater freedom and more room for self-expression, which was predicted for both men. It is quite an interesting astrological alignment. In 1958, Ally formed his own company with transiting Saturn (business, responsibility, hard-work) crossing the Asc (angles show important life junctures), and Duvall made his professional debut off-Broadway at the same time, so they both debuted professionally (Saturn). Perhaps the beginnings of ventures happen when a planet crosses the Asc and also the consolidation of the self and an important career/concrete move.

In 1971, Alvin produced “Cry” one of his greatest successes and he dedicated it to his mother and black women everywhere.  During this phase transiting Jupiter and Neptune conjoined his natal Venus in Sagittarius in the 12th house; this is a fortunate and highly artistic time. We can also observe transiting Saturn and Pluto sextile his motherly moon in Cancer. At the same time, Duvall was receiving considerable praise for his portrayal in the cult classic THX 1138.

Death Bed

Alvin died in of AIDS in 1989, and at the time he asked the real cause of his death not to be made public, due to his concern for his mother. Transiting Saturn trined natal Neptune and transiting Pluto in Scorpio square his natal Mars in Leo in the 8th house (life and death, birth, re-birth and endings). Meanwhile in 1989, Duvall appeared in the series Lonesome Dove, in the role of Gus, he starred in four episodes and he was trained to use deadly (Pluto) weapons (Mars). Gus dies of blood (Mars) poisoning (Pluto) and the doctor said he needed to amputate his leg to save his life, but he refused. This is the strange act of fate in both lives, one man had a real life death and the other a figurative death on-screen. I guess this is where the two lives part ways now. It was interesting to look at the different dynamics in the charts and how they played out. It can’t be a real in-depth look, as I would need more information, but there were some fascinating correlations and revelations to be found in both charts.