Charts Activated After Death

Charts Activated after Death: A Case Study of Charles Manson and Sharon Tate and the Release of Quentin Tarantino’s Movie, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Quentin Tarantino has a new film going into worldwide release on July 26, 2019 called Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. It had its official first press screening at the Cannes Film Festival on May 21, 2019, 4:30 p.m., Cannes, France. The time source for the Cannes chart is from Variety.com. 


Once Upon a Time in Hollywood tells the story of faded television actor Rick Dalton, played by DiCaprio, and his stunt double Cliff Booth, played by Pitt, who strive to achieve fame and success in the film industry during the waning years of Hollywood’s Golden age in 1969 Los Angeles. The plot intersects with the Charles Manson cult. Margot Robbie plays Sharon Tate.   


As working astrologers we know that charts continue to live on beyond death. After death events are triggered by major transits, progressions and solar arcs as well as other techniques for divination. We have exact birth times for both Sharon Tate and Charles Manson, and since their lives are so inextricably tied together, I thought it would be interesting from an astrological point of view, to see what’s being activated in their charts, bringing them once again to the forefront of public consciousness. I’m using whole sign houses and both traditional and contemporary planetary rulerships. 
Sharon Tate: January 24, 1943, 5:47 p.m., Dallas, Texas. Source: Lois Rodden AstroData Bank, AA.
Charles Manson: November 12, 1934, 4:40 p.m., Cincinnati, Ohio. Source: Lois Rodden AstroData Bank, AA. 
Progressions let us know on a deeper level what is ready to be changed. In a person that is dead we could interpret this as what is shifting on a deeper collective level of the public’s perception of the person in question. Transits will time events and the progressions tell us how deeply those events will transform the person or their story. I’ll be using planetary placements for the Cannes premier date of May 21, 2019, although for a general discussion as this is, it won’t make any major difference if using July 26. 

Sharon Tate Progressions
Mars at 25 Aquarius 29 is in a 45’ approaching conjunction to the 8th house South Node. In a day chart Mars is the malefic contrary to sect.  So it’s said to be the most challenging planet in the chart.  The angry red planet is ready to dredge up this violent, gruesome, shocking murder from the past. Aquarius also has to do with groups, in this case a destructive cult. Mars rules the natal 10th so her reputation is tied up in this very malefic Martian act from the past. He also rules the 5th, the area of the chart having to do with actors. 

The progressed Sun is in exact sextile to natal Venus. Venus lives in the 8th house along with the natal Sun. This progression presents the opportunity to recreate her identity and star quality to the public and highlights who she is as a woman of beauty and talent. Her beauty and talent is still so identified with her untimely death. Venus rules the 4th, the past, and the 11th, groups and organizations. The Sun rules all those natal second house planets including Pluto (death and transformation), the North Node (her destiny) and Chiron (the wound that never heals, as well as well as the rape/murder scenario via a group of lascivious, cultish, deranged centaurs following a guru. Read your mythology of the centaurs as they relate to Bacchus, who in this case would be symbolized by Charles Manson). 
The progressed Sun also forms an applying square to the ascendant/descendant axis by 47’. This axis along with the MC/IC axis is a point of action and visibility, indicating it’s time for this story to come before the public once again. The famous relationships in her life, her marriage as well as her destroyer are being made eminent once again. There’s a re-creation of these infamous events surrounding her most fated relationships. 

The progressed MC trines progressed Mars, separating by 10’ and natal South Node, applying 35’. This emphasizes her reputation and karma from the past affiliated with the violent planet Mars.   

Progressed Mercury forms an applying trine to natal Mars by 13’, and separating trine to natal Chiron by 35’. The ease of the grand trine suggests it’s time for the story to be told again. Mercury is the planet of communication and it rules the 3rd and 12th houses. This would be telling the story once again in more poetic terms, in this case through film. The 12th house of Ms. Tate’s chart also connects the story to the collective unconscious. Mercury also rules those 12th house planets, Uranus and Saturn. This suggests a new twist of an old story that permeates not only the psyche of Sharon Tate but also the collective group energy as bound to the Saturnian material world. The Mercury progression says it’s time for the story to be reanimated and reinterpreted. She’s part of social-political movement.   

Lastly, the progressed Moon is traveling through Cancer, her rising sign.  She’s therefore ruled by the Moon. This progression is symbolic of a new beginning regarding her story, her past and her personality. Because she has a Virgo moon, this progression digs up and re-analyzes her story. When an important planet like the progressed Moon is in an angular sign and house, it has more power.  

Sharon Tate Transits
The tightest aspect that is in effect for an entire year is the 11th house transit of Uranus squaring the 8th house Sun/Mercury conjunction. It’s time for this shocking death to be unearthed once again. Uranus is strong, being in a house in which it feels at home, and ruling the Sun/Mercury conjunction. 
Transiting Saturn is angular being on the descendant all year, as well as opposing Jupiter. The angularity makes for action, and the 7th house is the major relationships in her life with Polanski, and of course Manson, which is a fated 12th house kind of thing. Natal Saturn sits in the house of hidden enemies by birth. Saturn also rules the 8th house of death and resurrection. 

Transiting Pluto and the South Node are also all over the descendant degree, adding to the excavation of this horror and the obsessions with the story, the past, and having it transformed into a new interpretation. History has forced her to be connected to two very important, powerful and destructive men, and it’s all being unearthed via the myths of Uranus, Saturn and Pluto. 

Transiting Neptune trines Jupiter and semi-squares Sun/Mercury all year; the story is being told and disseminated through the world of film. Transiting Saturn sesquiquadrates the natal Saturn/Uranus 12th house planets; this is another connection between her husband Roman Polanski, who is a 7th house open enemy (as all spouses are), and the 12th house hidden enemy as represented by Manson. 

The July 2 solar eclipse at 10 Cancer squares her MC from the first. Her story comes to the attention of the world. The eclipse affects her status, reputation and brings more recognition to her story. 
The solar eclipse on January 10, 2020 will be on her ascendant, so the release of the film on the July solar eclipse will connect to the January solar eclipse in some way. That’s around the time the Academy Award nominations are announced, so perhaps there will be a nomination for Margot Robbie, who portrays her in the film. 

Charles Manson Progressions
His Sun at 15 Aquarius is on the world axis, bringing his infamous identity back to the world stage. The progression is in the 10th and it rules the 4th. The South Node is ruled by the Sun, so it returns all that karma and obsession for stardom to the forefront. It’s interesting that though not in the exact same degree, Manson and Tate have the nodes in reversed signs. His progressed Aquarius Sun, though not in aspect, does resonate with her Aquarius 8th house stellium. 
His progressed ascendant has just entered Leo, bringing him back into the limelight and connecting his identity to the past (Leo rules the 4th house). It’s as if he’s screaming from the grave, “I’m a star, I’m a star, I’m a star!” His progressed South Node conjunct the progressed ascendant tremendously inflames this feeling. 

Progressed Mars trine natal Saturn. Both malefics rule angles, the 10th having to do with his reputation and legacy and the 7th having to do with his relationships. Mars rules his Scorpio stellium in the 7th bringing all those energies into play. Some 10th house authority, namely Quentin Tarantino, is bringing his violent past back to life. This progression was extremely tight while the film was being made. Saturn and Mars also rule houses 12 and 9. 
Progressed Venus sextile natal ascendant and semi-square natal MC, both applying by 47’. His chart ruler in aspect to his ascendant provides an opportunity to reexamine his personality and his relationships, while in aspect to the MC brings him back into prominence. I can’t emphasize enough how transits and progressions to the angles are among the most important for being visible and coming before the public. 

Progressed Mercury trine natal Mercury is an emphasis on communication and storytelling. 
Progressed Jupiter tightly squares natal Saturn. This could be summed up as an exploration and expansion of his legacy. Jupiter seeks meaning for something, and this story can always be served by further explanations into the philosophy and meaning of the times and Manson’s role in the turbulent mythology of the late ‘60s. They both are domiciled in angular houses in the natal chart.

Charles Manson Transits
His major transit is Uranus over the ascendant. This is the end of one way of life and the beginning of new way of life. Since he’s dead, and Uranus is coming out of the 12th, it’s presenting a new perspective on who he is. A detached viewpoint of what his contribution was to the collective unconscious and our interpretation of the radical changes that were initiated in the late 1960s. His is a personality that is inextricably linked to this time period, for better or worse. How does his unique, shocking and crazy personality get reinterpreted as part of history? Maybe enough time has passed to get a bird’s eye view and some detachment from those horrific crimes, and see them in a more intellectual historical context. In a very obvious way, he is being thrown and projected back on to the collective, and this may be a shocking new interpretation of who he is, and what he has done. He died on his Uranus return in the 12th house, and now there can be new observation without him making any personal statements. It’s up to us, via the film, to formulate and reassess his image. Time gives us distance and perspective. 

This transit also squares the lunar nodes and natal Moon, so it deeply connects the public to his image and his influence over the mass psyche and the collective karma. We project an awful lot of our dark image on to him, understandably so. This transit brings that all out into the open. All those 10th house Aquarius planets are brought into this transit through rulership, and it is extremely powerful. 

At the same time, transiting Pluto and Saturn conjunct his MC and sextile the Sun. The imagery here is astounding and fairly obvious. The holocaustic effects of his deeds from the past are ready to be re-evaluated. Saturn, Pluto and Uranus are all transiting the angles. Place any obvious imagery and words on to these transits and you’ll be right in the interpretation. 

Transiting Neptune trine the Sun/Venus conjunction and sextile the MC. Everything about this historical event is being easily told through the lens of cinema, the movies and poetic license to translate his story through a creative lens. 

This is anticipated to one of the biggest movies of the year, and personally, I’m looking forward to its opening. In closing, I’d like to suggest as research projects, to look at charts of deceased famous people and not-so-famous people of interest to you. Track their transits, progressions, solar arcs and any other preferred techniques. It’s a great tool for learning and can bring insight to interpretations in client consultations for the living. 

Joseph Addeo is a Level IV NCGR-PAA Certified Astrologer and serves on the Board of Directors of the New York Chapter. He can be reach via his website at www.josephaddeo.com or on Facebook at