• All About Juno
  • Bad Girl: The Power of the Lilith Archetype
  • Charts for Articles in past issues of ECLIPSE
  • Excerpt from ‘The Moon & You: Interpreting the Moon in the Natal Chart’
  • How Do We Reconcile Placidus with Whole Sign, and Still Love Ourselves in the Morning?
  • On Eclipses
  • Services
  • Terms of Use
  • Zeus, or, What a Man Gotta Do

Julie Demboski's ASTROLOGY

~ Addressing the Individual Experience Within the Universal Truth

Julie Demboski's ASTROLOGY

Tag Archives: Christina Crawford

The Mother of Them All

10 Sunday May 2015

Posted by juliedemboski in aspects and placements, astrology, relationship astrology

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Christina Crawford, Joan Crawford, mother/child, relationship

Here’s a Mother’s Day re-print, y’all! Happy Mother’s Day!

I really think there are many more maternal figures since Medea lost it who are worse than our subject; but it’s undeniable that her name has become a catchphrase for over-the-top histrionics and abuse (as well as the scourge of dry cleaners, through the admonition, “No! Wire! Hangars!”) Yes, I’m talking about the much maligned, and now nearly iconic symbol of dysfunctional mothering, actress and one-time Pepsico CEO Joan Crawford (23 March 1903, 10:00 PM, San Antonio Texas). To be fair to Joan, after a brief perusal of the mothering related factors in her chart, we’ll look at the chart of the adopted daughter who brought Joan’s alleged behavior to light, Christina Crawford (11 June 1939, 3:00 PM, Los Angeles California).

The attitude toward children in general, and one’s children in particular, is found in the 5th; for the senior Ms. Crawford, this is ruled by Neptune, alerting us immediately to the possibility that this woman does not see children in a realistic light. Neptune is in the 8th at 00 Cancer, implying that she may see children as a resource (something she was indeed accused of, in the sense of using her adopted children as props and a PR ploy), with the 00 placement in Cancer pointing up the emotional newness, even rawness, of Neptune related subjects–interesting in light of her lifelong occupation of film acting, with the 8th placement suggesting that she may have easily gained the support of others in this.

Neptune ruler, and symbol of both the mothering Joan received herself, and the attitude she carried toward mothering in general, the Moon, sits in Aquarius less than one degree from conjunction with Saturn, both in the 3rd. This is a combination for emotional repression, even coldness, as the emotions are processed intellectually; sitting in the 3rd this emphasized the mental approach to emotions, and this was communicated, whether she wanted others to see it or not. The Moon also trines Mars and Earth in Libra, marrying the emotions almost too easily to the material and to the ego and aggressive/ assertive urges, and the Moon sextiles Vesta and the Sun in Aries, making emotional challenges seem like ones that threaten her very identity, and giving the emotional scenario a label of ‘sacred’–no one may contradict her emotional interpretation! The Moon also sextiles Juno in the 1st, making her Self empowered through emotional expression. So, though the emotions are directly suppressed, we see they have plenty of real-world outlets, along with many underlying assumptions about their sacrosanct nature.

Mars, ruler of the Sun and already part of the equation through contact with the Moon, rules the 6th of duty and everyday happenings/ routine, and holds Venus in Aries, valuing the martial spirit and the kind of strict, military style routines her adoptive daughter said were a household staple. Chiron, which can often show a wound that drives much of our compulsive behavior, is isolated in Capricorn at the bottom of the chart, suggesting attempts to stave off the wound and attendant bad feelings about the Self may have taken the form of extreme discipline and repression. Chiron sits at the midpoint of a square between Juno (Self-empowerment) and Jupiter (society), implying she might have seen these two interests as in conflict, setting up a ‘Joan vs. everyone else’ dynamic.

But does she really fit the model of a ‘devouring mother’? Pluto is essential to that picture, and in Joan Crawford’s chart it is chart ruler, posited in the 8th, opposes Uranus, ruler of the 4th, and square Piscean Mercury, which brings us back to Neptune. This suggests that she may have been tempted to destroy the very people and things that supported her, that she may have been in an internal death struggle with her own expression of individuality and a longing to be part of the group, and that she was as likely to communicate destructively as she was to communicate in a way that reflected her (somewhat disconnected from reality–see Neptune’s situation) ideals. Though she certainly qualifies as responding to the devouring Archetype, she seems more a figure to be pitied than condemned; the emotional dysfunctions and woundedness that drove her were not easily dealt with, even for someone Self-aware. Ms. Crawford seems to have been unwilling, and perhaps even unable, to recognize her own distorted nature.

Adopted daughter Christina (11 June 1939, 3:00 PM, Los Angeles California) may have had her own motivations (aside from just revealing events) in writing her tell-all book, ‘Mommie Dearest.’ The view of the mother is found in the 10th, and the experience of mothering received in the state of the Moon. Leo is on the 10th cusp, with ruler Sun in the 8th in Gemini and conjunct Mercury. The Sun is sesquiquadrate Mars in Aquarius at the bottom of the chart–it just happens to conjunct Joan’s Moon. Where else would Christina’s ego and aggressive urges, intellectualtized and hidden deep inside herself, go for outlet, but to Mommie? Her Moon is in Aries (ruled by the instrument of her ego/ anger/ assertion); the Moon rules the 9th of publishing, and is square Chiron (the primal wound) in Cancer (Mom again!) and is conjunct Jupiter, which rules the intercepted 2nd, suggesting that perhaps there was a deeply hidden idea of the Self as ‘big’ and in connection to the other energies may have felt the only way to express this ‘bigness’ was through the emotions (Moon/ Jupiter conjunct).

Of course, just because someone has Jupiter connected to the 2nd, it doesn’t mean they have an inflated Self-worth; but I do remember distinctly that the book featured many episodes where Christina asserted her talents failed to be recognized. I recall wondering what talents and abilities she repeatedly referred to in the abstract, as she seemed to take for granted that the reader assumed her to be almost magically accomplished and talented, though she made virtually no direct reference to exactly what those talents were. 5th House (creativity) Jupiter happens to be, among other salient aspects, trine Pluto, implying a syndrome I’ve seen at work before (and first saw mentioned in the work of the great Grant Lewi): frustrated individuals with Jupiter/ Pluto aspects often believe they possess a whole list of imaginary attributes; the unfortunate part is that they judge themselves on these, and miss connecting with their real talents, and thus short-circuit their opportunities in reality. I believe this particular kind of magical thinking was at work in Christina. Also of note: her Aries Moon is conjunct Joan’s Sun. Reincarnationists will of course enjoy that; I’ll just say that this speaks of the child’s emotional state (and needs) meeting the ego/ identity/ Soul of the mother, head on; could it have felt to both like there was competition for recognition of each of these needs/ energies in the other? Even looking at only the couple of contacts between these two charts we’ve mentioned (Mars/ Moon, Moon/ Sun), we can see that, no matter how Christina was treated, she likely would have seen Joan as trying to outshine her, and perhaps, in disowning her own aggression, Christina more than a little contributed to the situation that came about; even children have the full pallet of urges and attributes–when we forget that, we infantilize (and fail to respect) them, and put our ability to have a fulfilling relationship with them in peril.

Rate this:

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Email
  • Print
  • LinkedIn

Like this:

Like Loading...

Blog Stats

  • 2,042,222 hits

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

Pages

  • All About Juno
  • Bad Girl: The Power of the Lilith Archetype
  • Charts for Articles in past issues of ECLIPSE
  • Excerpt from ‘The Moon & You: Interpreting the Moon in the Natal Chart’
  • How Do We Reconcile Placidus with Whole Sign, and Still Love Ourselves in the Morning?
  • On Eclipses
  • Services
  • Terms of Use
  • Zeus, or, What a Man Gotta Do

Donate

Recent Comments

Melanie Boston on Full Moon in Sagittarius June…
Stephen Clifton on Full Moon in Sagittarius June…
Katia on Mercury Retrograde 21 April 20…
Nancy Kossman on A Note Or Two For You
Katia on Mercury Retrograde 21 April 20…

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 5,098 other subscribers

Top Posts & Pages

  • Full Moon in Sagittarius June 2023: A Lonely Lunar Light
  • Receptivity and Desire: The Great Attractors in the Natal Chart Venus, Chiron, and the Moon
  • What You're Asking: 12th House Suns, Juno/ Venus Synastry, and, Are Scorpio Moons Misanthropic?
  • Zeus, or, What a Man Gotta Do
  • Your Weekend 12-13 August 2017 Rearranged
Follow Julie Demboski's ASTROLOGY on WordPress.com

Search

Asteroids

  • CHIRON IN THE NATAL CHART
  • Hekate by Leah Whitehorse
  • HEKATE IN THE NATAL CHART: A LITTLE BACKGROUND + AN EXAMPLE
  • JUNO IN THE NATAL CHART
  • Serennu
  • THE ASTROLOGY OF INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP
  • We Are All Vessels: VESTA IN THE NATAL CHART

Astro Books, Interviews, & Merchandise

  • CHIRON IN THE NATAL CHART
  • Dog and Sunflower Press
  • Jo Tracey's Interview with me
  • JUNO IN THE NATAL CHART
  • THE ASTROLOGY OF INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP
  • We Are All Vessels: VESTA IN THE NATAL CHART

Astrological Associations

  • Washington State Astrological Association

Astrology Aggregators and Group Sites

  • Astrology Blog List
  • Astrology Blogger
  • Astrology Media Press
  • Astrology Study
  • Astropro Society
  • Horoskoop
  • Humandala
  • Startsiden

Astrology Blogroll and Sites of Interest

  • A Tiny Universe
  • All My Minds
  • Anthony Louis Astrology and Tarot Blog
  • Astro Inquiry
  • Astroair Astrology
  • Astrolearn
  • Astrology Explored
  • Astrology Questions and Answers
  • AstroQueer
  • Been There, Done That
  • Being My Own Self
  • Big Sky Astrology
  • Boho Astro
  • Caroline Myss
  • Celestial Space Astrology Blog
  • Chirotic Journal
  • Cosmic Life Coach
  • Erin Sullivan
  • irOk Woo
  • Jo Tracey's Interview with me
  • Joanne Madeline Moore
  • Jude Cowell Astology
  • Jude's Tapestry
  • Jude's Threshold
  • Karmic Tools
  • Kim Fairminer
  • Libra Seeking Balance
  • Lua Astrology: Navigation by the Stars
  • Madameastres
  • My Astrology Charts
  • Neptune and the Oak
  • Neptune's Silver Screen
  • Ouranitsa
  • Peter Stockinger's Traditional Astrology Weblog
  • Serennu's blog
  • Shifting Realities
  • Starcana
  • Stars of Wonder
  • Stars Over Washington
  • SunnyCat Astrology
  • The Oculus Divinorum Archives
  • The Silent Watchers
  • Tracy's Astro Salon
  • True Crime & Astrology
  • Two Hours You'll Never Get Back
  • Venus in the Fifth

Astrology on a Daily or Weekly Basis

  • Being My Own Self
  • Chirotic Journal
  • Cosmic Life Coach
  • Fragrantica
  • Lua Astrology: Navigation by the Stars
  • Lunar Phases and Energy Shifts by Verena Heinrich
  • Tracy's Astro Salon

Astrology Resources

  • A Tiny Universe
  • Astro Blogging
  • Astrodienst
  • Astrolabe
  • Astrolearn
  • Astrology Book Club
  • Astrology Center of America
  • Astrology Dating
  • Astrology News Service
  • Astrology Software
  • AstroWiki
  • CHIRON IN THE NATAL CHART
  • Fixed Stars at Astrology on the Web
  • JUNO IN THE NATAL CHART
  • My Astrology Charts
  • Peter Stockinger's Traditional Astrology Weblog
  • Sabian Symbols at Cafe Astrology
  • Serennu
  • Spiral Spectrum
  • THE ASTROLOGY OF INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP
  • Time Zone Converter
  • Tracy's Astro Salon
  • We Are All Vessels: VESTA IN THE NATAL CHART

Astronomy Resources

  • Astrology Software
  • Google Sky
  • Spiral Spectrum
  • Stargazers (Map Site of the Sky–NASA)
  • The Naked Eye Planets
  • The Nine Planets
  • Time and Date
  • Time Zone Converter

At 'Been There, Done That'

  • A Difficult Dance: Lilith and Chiron

Downloads, Podcasts, Video, and Radio

  • Karmic Tools

Forums

  • Astroknowlogy

Horary Astrology

  • Peter Stockinger's Traditional Astrology Weblog

Instruction, Workshops and Seminars

  • Rae Indigo

Living Well, Art, and Conversation

  • 1481hyperion
  • Actavesta Baby
  • Adventures in Green from the Emerald City
  • Alice Neal Snaps
  • Alice's Adventures in Knittingland
  • An Upturned Soul
  • Art Talk
  • Been There, Done That
  • Beth Turnage
  • Cancer Killing Recipe
  • Capricorn One Vintage Blog
  • Capricorn One Vintage Shop
  • Cosmic Persona Designs
  • Dreamy Fish
  • Esscentual Alchemy
  • First Olympian Beard Oil
  • Fragrantica
  • Handmade Days
  • Jo Tracey's Interview with me
  • Jude Cowell Art
  • Jude Cowell at Fine Art America
  • Jude Cowell at Red Bubble
  • Jude's Tapestry
  • Jude's Threshold
  • Karen's Whimsy
  • Kelley's Custom Creams
  • Lim's Limericks
  • Neptune's Silver Screen
  • Rae Indigo
  • Samantha Demboski, Artist at Red Bubble
  • Secret Moon Art
  • Shannon Food
  • Silent Paradox
  • Spiral Spectrum
  • Swamp Creek Farm
  • The Hungry Writer
  • These Other Realms
  • Two Hours You'll Never Get Back
  • Woolly Mammoth Chronicles
  • WordAds
  • WordPress.com
  • WordPress.org

Magical Stuffs

  • Esscentual Alchemy
  • Ethereal Enchantments
  • First Olympian Beard Oil
  • Jude Cowell at Fine Art America
  • Kelley's Custom Creams

On Hiatus, It Seems

  • 8th House Stellium
  • Artful Journey
  • Astro 4 Business
  • Astrocelebrities
  • Astrology Expressed
  • Astrology Mundo
  • Astrology's Wisdom
  • Decide for Yourself
  • Distracted Astrologer
  • Dreamscopes
  • Ellen Longo
  • Mayan Astrology
  • Mercury Retrograde
  • Mystic Skye
  • Starry Night Astrology
  • The Know It All Astrologer
  • The Volcanic Muses
  • What The Astral Fog

On the Astro Horizon

  • My Juno series

Tarot

  • irOk Woo
  • Starcana
  • The Feral Tarot
  • Venus is Ascending

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

  • Follow Following
    • Julie Demboski's ASTROLOGY
    • Join 1,310 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Julie Demboski's ASTROLOGY
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: