This is an excerpt from my upcoming Moon book—thought any Parrot heads out there might enjoy it.
4th House Moon: What You See Is Not What He Is: Jimmy Buffett
We see the House ruled by the Moon, in this case the 10th of career and public image, functioning as a successful outlet very clearly in the chart of musician Jimmy Buffett (25 December 1946, 1:08 AM CST, Pascagoula Mississippi USA). ‘Parrot heads’ (as his fans are known) are generally older individuals (‘Boomers’) with establishment/ professional positions who, at least theoretically, long for and identify with the eternal beach bum lifestyle that Buffett sold–and sell he did: Buffett commanded a capitalist empire of merchandise and concert dates worth many hundreds of millions, highly appropriate for a 4th House Moon in Capricorn opposed a Cancer Midheaven who peddles easy livin’–in this case, what you see (Cancer MC) is not what you get, between the Cappy Moon and Sun (which are separating, just a little more than a day past New Moon status), Pallas, and Mars, with Pallas conjoined the Moon=the feeling nature and intuition contain both wisdom and practicality, and Mars conjoined the Sun=the ‘I Am’ doesn’t hesitate to fulfill the Soul’s intents, and to do so in concrete forms/ material expressions (Capricorn). In many ways, Buffett was all business. He may have been the first individual to successfully create a brand built around a persona and then merchandise it sustainably for almost fifty years in every way possible, from resorts to kitchen wares.
The Moon is sextile the 2nd House Venus-Jupiter, making up the base to a loose Finger of God with 9th House Uranus in Gemini as apex. Uranus rules the 5th of creative output, while Venus rules the 1st of Self and the 8th of others and the resources they share, while Jupiter rules the thought and communication 3rd=was all about telling others who he is, exaggerating, and thereby gaining—so doubly ironic that the easy-going, always tipsy, life-in-the-sunshine image is completely belied by that Capricorn Sun-Mars, a hard-driving, nose-to-the-grindstone combo if there ever was one. With Sun and Moon in the 4th and ruled by 11th House Saturn, we know that inside Buffett likely saw himself as a serious businessman, first and foremost, and he derived emotional and financial security, expression, and satisfaction from this, at least in part by playing so well the tropical transplant with no responsibilities.
The way Venus-Jupiter ruler Pluto is widely conjoined Saturn in Leo enhances the connection to the material, perhaps endowing the Self-image presented (Pluto rules the 2nd) with a serious note—or one that promises transformation, through consumption of his ‘product’ and validation of his approach. Also interesting is the way the Sun-Mars sextile to Chiron is base to another Finger, this one with apex natal Vertex. This suggests fulfillment of the ‘I Am’, the identity and the purpose, as filtered through the perspective of hurt and experience, forms the fate—so we have to ask, is there any truth to the carefree but just a little sad image, the ‘loved and lost and now chillin’ in the sun’ persona? Yes, there may be: Neptune, planet of imagination, drink, and dreams is in the Libra (sign of relationships) 1st, above the horizon, this position hinting that his creative interpretation of drowning love troubles in sun and alcohol might at the very least feel real to him, making the facade a reflection of some not-quite-conscious idea Buffett had about himself.
The Moon is apex to yet another Finger, with base of Zeus and Uranus. Again, the emotional satisfaction from communicating (Uranus in Gemini) his beliefs/ philosophy around how to get through life (9th House), but Zeus in Leo in the 11th means there’s an ego payoff, as well, one that fulfills a goal or dream—which we can interpret as involving Love, Money, or both, with Zeus’ close square to Venus. The image he presents focuses on an ‘unlucky in love’ theme, which shows in a loose Fist of God, base of Venus square Zeus, apex Eris. This is an instance where Eris in a man’s chart takes on the function of casting blame, specifically on the women he loves and loses—and it suits his ambitions, makes that image shine, to a ‘T’ (Zeus in Leo). This is echoed in the opposition of Zeus to Ceres; there was no way to achieve his ambitions and goals without the foil of strong, smart, independent women (Ceres in Aquarius)–though to his credit, Buffett always copped in the end to the whole thing being, in his words, his “own damn fault”.
What did Buffett need to be wary of? Selling his Soul. A 29 degree Vesta in Pisces in the 6th suggests it was imperative he keep duties, obligations, and what he honored in focus. This squares the Sun, upping the danger that if he strayed from his core Self (Capricorn energy, that he carries deep inside—4th House–and sees as truly defining who he is) what results would, at the very least, be unwise or impractical, shown by the other close aspect to Vesta, a sextile from Pallas. Some might assume that such a strong embrace of capitalism automatically qualifies as Soul-loss, but when one values hard work and the things one can get from it, as a Capricorn Sun-Moon surely does, then pursuit of worldly profit actually means one is following the spiritual path appropriate for the individual. By all accounts, Buffett navigated things well, without noteworthy scandal or leaving a string of enemies in his wake—in fact, upon announcement of his death just a few days ago, tributes to his kindness and generosity came from many who knew and clearly loved him. We should all be so attuned to our natural energies, as living in harmony with ourselves is the most fulfilling thing we can do.