David Bowie and Saturn

Bowie had been a mystery since he often changed his looks on stage. If I had done this series a few years ago, I could have linked Bowie with the provoking and rebellious Uranus. But now, with my age and looking at his trajectory, I know Bowie had been carrying the weight of Saturn. 

Liz Greene has discussed Saturn's changeability and how it differs from Mercury-style changes. Saturn can urge one to change into anything for fear of inadequacy. For example, when one has Saturn in the 11th house, she might be overwhelmed by how clumsy she could be when dealing with people. To compensate for this lack, the person may appear slick, like a Gemini, on social occasions. In other words, Saturn disguises and Mercury changes. 

Bowie’s chameleon style results from his insecurity on stage. In a 1972 interview, he opened up about struggling with stage identity, thus creating multiple characters to wear. This sounds like a paradox because one would think if a person feels uneasy when performing, that person is not cut out for this job. People are as intricate, if not more so, than a natal chart.

Bowie's 12th-house sun is in Capricorn, conjunct with Mars, which mixes Saturn’s flavor with Mars within an ethereal 12th-house space. The 12th-house ruler, Saturn, is located in the 7th house in Leo, in conjunction with the Moon. The moon in the 7th in Leo speaks loudly about Bowie’s desire to bond with others through the performing arts. Yet with the 3-degree conjunction with Saturn, he could feel painfully plain by being in his skin. 

Meanwhile, Saturn also rules and opposes Bowie’s Aquarius ascendant, which creates this dynamic loop: self-projecting to the world in the 1st house, feeling inadequate in the 7th, absorbing the old to make the new projection in the 1st. 

But time is so rewarding to Saturnians. Towards the end of his career, Bowie needed less and less disguise. In his later years, he did not rely on groundbreaking appearances or fluid gender images because all the Saturnian hard work had forged him as a brand throughout time. Bowie's last look in Blackstar is there if anyone ever needs a Saturn in the flesh.