Next gig – Easter Saturday

Asking questions

Taylor Swift – astrological birth chart

An unstoppable force to be reckoned with! Taylor Swift was born on 13th December 1989 in Pennsylvania, where she grew up on a Christmas tree farm. The ambitious and conservative Capricorn rising chart (below) is the one most commonly used. There is some doubt about the 8.36am time of birth but it makes astrological sense. Her Sun sign is fiery, optimistic and enthusiastic Sagittarius but Earth and Water are the strongest elements. The large number of Cancer-Capricorn oppositions indicates strong motivating conflicts – between home and career, romance and cynicism, and other challenges.

Unaspected Sun in Sagittarius

At its best, an unaspected Sagittarian Sun (possibly 12th house, serving the collective) is free to shine out in a truly unique and visionary way. The unconventional, humanitarian love nature of Venus in Aquarius is also largely unaspected (there is a wide-ish sextile aspect to sexy Mars in Scorpio) – again showing potential free self-expression but possible difficulties with inconsistency. A close novile minor aspect (40 degrees, 9th harmonic) between the Sun and Venus indicates joy, peace and a sense of completion. Neptune is at the Sun-Venus midpoint, a combination of self (Sun), love (Venus) and universal “Swiftie” ideals (Neptune), or a glamorous deception (Neptune), or maybe both?!

Taylor Swift’s chart from http://www.astrotheme.com

Everyone born in 1989 has the Capricorn Saturn-Uranus-Neptune conjunction in their chart, with varying degrees of strength and importance. Many astrologers have written about this and the so-called Millenial generation, with a focus on those born around the late eighties and early nineties. Although she can no doubt comfortably afford to do so, perhaps Taylor Swift is playing a small part in the birth of a new dimension (Uranus-Neptune) of material and economic responsibility (Saturn in Capricorn), having consistently donated many millions to a very wide range of charities and causes.

Moon and Jupiter in Cancer

Taylor has a Moon-Jupiter conjunction in the sign of Cancer, signifying her warm, kind and emotionally generous side. She is well known for her supportive and nurturing attitude towards many of her fans. Interestingly, a quick look at the Cancerian USA chart for 4th July 1776 shows a strong compatibility with America as a whole. A candidate for the President of the United States one day? Stranger things – much stranger – have happened.

Between 2003 and 2006, she laid the foundations of her career in Nashville, as Saturn moved over her Cancerian planets. The musical and lyrical style of country music fits the sign of Cancer perfectly – sentimental, traditional, romantic, with an emphasis on home and family values. In 2004 and 2005, transiting Pluto to her Sun unleashed a powerful and ambitious drive as she signed to Big Machine Records and became the youngest ever artist signed by Sony/ATV publishing. Her career took off, as swift as a Sagittarian arrow (sorry, couldn’t resist that one).

In August 2017 – at the time of a karmic Saturn transit to her natal Sun – Swift successfully countersued a former radio deejay she had accused of her groping her in 2013. Taylor Swift showed herself as unusually enlightened for someone in her position: “I acknowledge the privilege that I benefit from in life, in society and in my ability to shoulder the enormous cost of defending myself in a trial like this. My hope is to help those whose voices should also be heard. Therefore, I will be making donations in the near future to multiple organizations that help sexual assault victims defend themselves.”

2018 and her January 2019 Saturn return

The latest album Reputation has put her closer to the sales figures of Pink Floyd and Madonna, right up there in the big league. Saturn entering Capricorn for 2018 shows some serious challenges, a heavy time with hard work ahead. The schoolteacher of the zodiac will pass over Taylor’s four Capricorn planets (lessons in responsibility and career) and oppose her planets in Cancer (emotional struggles). This is a crucial time in her life. A single pass Saturn return over her close Saturn-Neptune (the reality of her ideals) conjunction in late December 2018 to January 2019 will be a major personal and career re-assessment. Good luck to her!

The above is an edited and revised version of a more detailed 2000-word article, originally published in the January-February 2018 issue of the Astrological Journal magazine https://www.facebook.com/AstrologicalJournal This is the bimonthly publication of the Astrological Association http://www.astrologicalassociation.com dedicated to educating the public on astrology since 1958.

Consultations and readings available at https://www.timburnessastrologer.co.uk