Valerie Harper lost her life to cancer today. Born August 22, 1939 at 4:30 AM EDT in Suffern, New York, she shined, and it showed in her roles on stage and on camera. I was struck by her natal Saturn Rx, intercepted and yet still at the apex of her chart while forming a 23-minute partile conjunction to her natal South Node while Pluto complicated that neat and tidy combination with a 15-minute partile square to the Nodes. If she didn’t like the hard work, you’d never have known it. If anything, she seemed to be more of a firebrand in all of her actions, from giving her best shot to her career–and fighting with all she had in her last breaths of life. Take note of Mars Rx in Saturn-ruled Capricorn–in its 1° square to the MC. She did all she could to keep going, and we can be thankful she did just that far longer than many of us feared would have been the case.

She was focused on who she was and how she presented herself, and she had no doubt she was loved. Take note of that limelight-loving Sun-Venus conjunction at the 2nd house cusp (Sun in the 2nd, Venus within orb of the 2nd). While Mars formed a working trine to Uranus, giving her the opportunity to pour herself, her spark, her inspiration into whatever she did, she was vivacious and could steal hearts with that quirky personality as she needed to have from time to time.

The placement of Mercury and Pluto in this chart is normally wide, but the midpoint falls at 7 Leo 05 in a 28-minute partile conjunction of both Pluto and Mercury to her Ascendant. It gave her the power, the attention, the magnetism through her delivery to capture the eyes and ears of those who might not otherwise have done so. While she was quite independent, she also had an introspective side that gave her pause to do what we should be aware of in our lives–thinking before speaking. As a result, while she had that focus on Self, it was in terms of how she would behave, how she was positioned in the public eye, and she used it well. She had the energy, and she knew what she was doing and never forgot it. The theater–the world of entertainment–was her home. Even if she wasn’t born in a trunk, one might have thought she was. This was a woman who was pure fire and earth. No water, no air; but don’t make the mistake of thinking she had no emotion and didn’t think. She played it well, but then even her signature was fixed fire–Leo.

Her creative side came a bit unexpectedly, I suppose, but maybe not: While she had a Grand Trine in Earth from Mars to Uranus to Neptune, Neptune made sure to give her the intercultural perspectives she offered in communicating those. Neptune presents a 3-minute partile conjunction to its antiscion in 9th house Jupiter in Aries. These energies integrated well in how she expressed each role, from Rhoda to Golda Meir and even Tallulah Bankhead. She didn’t give a half-hearted performance. It just wasn’t in her fiber. This was the consummate performer, the whole package.

If I could describe her in few words with a chart like this, I’d say Ingrid Bergman might have described her well when she said, “Play it, Sam.” Harper’s name was never Sam. That was Sam, the piano player (Dooley Wilson) in Casablanca. But Valerie Harper kept playing until she knew it was time to sleep.

Farewell, Valerie Harper. I’m one who hopes to see you doing just that–playing it (again) someday, somewhere in your next chapter…

Your words are high and running through a tired mind
A howling wind surrounds you
I’m trying to illuminate a clouded heart
I’m gonna find the strength to stay

Feel we’re gonna break out
At the last step now
Feel we’re gonna break out
I really wanna see your face, and I see

Bright bright lights, bright lights to guide me
Bright bright lights, bright lights to guide me home
Bright bright lights, bright lights to guide me
Bright bright lights, bright lights to guide me home

Your hands are high and floating through a darkened sky
So many eyes around you
The distant sounds as neon sparks light up my heart
I’m gonna find a brighter day

Feel we’re gonna break out
I really wanna see your face, and I see

Bright bright lights, bright lights to guide me
Bright bright lights, bright lights to guide me home
Bright bright lights, bright lights to guide me
Bright bright lights, bright lights to guide me home

You shut your heart and shut my door
You shut your heart
When I say hold me, when I say hold me, when I see

Bright bright lights, bright lights to guide me
Bright bright lights, bright lights to guide me home
Bright bright lights, bright lights to guide me
Bright bright lights, bright lights to guide me home

Bright lights to guide me
Bright lights to guide me
Bright lights to guide me
Bright lights to guide me home!

Namaste, I love you,
Michelle

©2019 Michelle Young