Analysis of Sigmund Freud's astrological chart

Impressive Western Hemisphere

The astrological chart of the father of psychoanalysis is revealing in many respects. It has everything required to delight the astrologer, because it describes perfectly well the main life priorities of Sigmund Freud and the work he has passed on to mankind.

Firstly, we can only note the prominence of Taurus, the solar sign. On the one hand, four planets are posited there, each one having a precise role as we shall see. On the other hand, the sign shelters the angle of the Descendant; it must be borne in mind that the Western hemisphere as well as the 7th House (that representing other people), are very crowded.

Indeed, with such a repartition – no less than six planets around the Descendant (Venus, Pluto, the Sun, Uranus, Mercury, and the Moon are less than one sign apart from the sign of the Ascendant). By adding Saturn, Neptune, and Jupiter, almost all the energy of the famed physician is on this side of the natal chart. Only Mars is in the Eastern hemisphere. No wonder then that a Taurus scientist like Freud has given so much importance to instincts and dedicated his entire attention to his patients, therefore to other people instead of to himself.

This is the reason why we must focus on the Taurus-7th House-Descendant blend to grasp the first traits of this small portrait.

A Sun Taking Up Space and Providing Ambition

History does not reveal much about the roots of Freud's family. Its members came from Galicia and epitomized social ascent through work. The father was a wool merchant, which matches very well the Sun in Taurus. Freud proved to be a skilled pupil who was interested in sciences, especially zoology and Darwinian theories.

At a young age, his character displayed the dispositions of the second zodiacal sign. He was drawn to concrete things, and more particularly to nature. The Sun, his major dominant/a>, forms strong aspects that Freud felt very early, prompting him to create a masterwork and to shine.

His biography shows that he was concerned about social status – unsurprisingly – and that for a long time he suffered from insufficient income. When he set up his practice, the beginnings were difficult in contrast with the fact that he was a very talented student and that he had published a host of meaningful papers on the unconscious, already starting to prepare the ground for what would come next. He had to wait several decades before he received material recognition, a topic deeply related to Taurus.

Uranus Takes the Sun and Mercury Off the Beaten Track

Let us analyze at once the role of Uranus conjunct the Sun, Uranus who is willing to disrupt the certainties of Taurus and to urge Freud to innovate. The position of this slow-moving planet in this sign is certainly not easy; actually, we have been experiencing this transit (since 2019 and until 2027). We may find in it an echo to our current issues as we attempt to impose our ideals, even though the stakes are different. Anyway, in the case of Freud, we may say that the tension between the prosaic side and the intellectual side was constant and explains many of his choices.

The importance of Mercury must not be overlooked. Mercury, still in Taurus, reinforces the attraction to studies and words. Freud was active all his life through publications and bold stances.

Regardless of how the renowned psychoanalyst was judged – sometimes harshly or worse, like in Michel Onfray's Twilight of an idol, published in 2011 – Freud remains in history as the leader of neurologists having blazed an unheard-of trail. By analyzing dreams, then by studying the five stages of psycho-affective development and the Oedipus complex, Freud progressed slowly but steadily on a new path. He devoted all his life to the worship of words, which enabled him to learn even more about neuroses.

By dissecting his patients' dreams, by listening to the stories they told for hours on a couch, a revolutionary method in those days, Freud shaped a real medical treatment for the soul. One may add much more about Freud's school of thought, which has not stopped to evolve. This is logical, since the Sun is working with Uranus (flashes and innovation), and Mercury (the intellect, written words, swift communication), while Pluto's nature (questioning, stepping back, and transformation) compels total sloughing.

Scorpio Ascendant and Prominent Pluto Display a Secret Face

Let us assess the influence of Pluto, complex planet par excellence, who is the ruler of the Ascendant. His position alone, near the Descendant axis (other people) immediately points to a quite tormented facet for a Taurus, although Pluto shares with this sign a taste for deepening.

But above all, Pluto reminds us of Freud's theory about taboos. The word meant nothing yet at the beginning of the 20th century, and Freud was clearing virgin lands. He concentrated on early childhood buried desires, and did not shirk from the secrets which scared his colleagues. His approach fits his Scorpio Ascendant and the potency of natal Pluto. Under their yoke, the neurologist experienced some sort of glee as he probed what was hidden and even what was repugnant. He drew his strength from it (Taurus).

The Scorpio Ascendant and Pluto also partly account for Freud's own demons, for example when he took morphine and other hard stuffs during several years, without publicly admitting it, only mentioning it in his correspondence, On coca, in 1884.

An Emotionally Challenging T-square Pattern

In addition to undergoing the Taurus-Scorpio duality, Freud had probably had a hard time owing to a tough pattern in his natal chart. It is the T-square formed by Mars in Libra in the 11th, Saturn in Gemini in the 8th, and Jupiter in Pisces in the 5th House. With this highly energetic configuration, Freud might have felt torn between his generous impulses and powerful restraints stemming from his own prejudices.

In fact, criticisms have abounded over his contradictions in his understanding of sexuality (linked to the 5th and 8th Houses of this pattern) and the role of women.

Freud was what must be referred to as a depressive, frequently suffering during various dark periods. Although eventually he enjoyed the prestige of his discoveries in the last part of his life, he remained pessimistic about the human species, and he thought that religion was a trap leading to strays. This was how he expressed the excesses of a conception of a materialistic Taurus life based on reality, and unable to understand any form of transcendence.

By the end of his life, the political situation defeated him, and despite his achievements, Freud was forced to flee the Nazis. He died in London, laid down by cancer (an Ackerman verrucous carcinoma) at 83.

Sigmund Freud

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Author: Max Halberstadt
Credits: https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/lot_details.aspx?intObjectID=6116407
Licence: Public domain

Tuesday, May 6, 1856

Freiberg/Mähren (Pribor) (Czech Republic)

16°20' Taurus

14°40' Gemini

10°08' Scorpio

23°36' Leo

DominantDom. Signs

DominantDom. Planets

DominantDom. Houses

DominantDom. Elements

Birth Path

5' 7½" (1m72) tall

272,159

Biography of Sigmund Freud (excerpt)

Sigmund Freud (born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating pathologies in the psyche through dialogue between a patient and a psychoanalyst. Freud was born to Galician Jewish parents in the Moravian town of Freiberg, in the Austrian Empire (now Příbor). He...

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^* A planet less than 1° from the next House cusp is considered to be posited in the said House. 2° when the AS and the MC are involved