Shirley Bassey DBE

International singing superstar Dame Shirley Bassey will be celebrating her 80th birthday this coming weekend. She was born on Friday 8th January 1937 in Cardiff, Wales, UK. (No accurate birth time). 

As a Sun sign Capricorn, Dame Shirley is both down to earth and ambitious. She is resourceful, and an incredibly hard worker with a need to be taken seriously as a professional. Typical of her sign, she will never give up and has tremendous staying power - which is why she is still a top performer after 60 years in the business. The Sun is in a sextile aspect to Saturn and a trine aspect to Neptune in her natal chart, showing very strong creative potential and great dedication.

Mercury in Dame Shirley's natal chart is part of a Grand Cross configuration involving Mars, Uranus, and Pluto. This is a very dynamic planetary influence which indicates powerful, energetic, animated expression, and gives Dame Shirley her amazingly strong singing voice. With this configuration there is tremendous willpower and determination which could lead to irritability and a tendency to overwork. She doesn't suffer fools gladly and will say exactly what she thinks. Highly strung and eccentric, as well as emotionally obsessive and passionate, this planetary influence also bestows great courage and endurance.

With her natal Venus in the sign of Pisces, Dame Shirley has tremendous charisma, and is an expert at flirting. Sensitive and romantic, her love is unconditional. She is unimpressed by status, appreciating and accepting people for what they are on the inside. She couldn't bear to hurt anyone, but will herself have been hurt many times. Venus in Pisces brings superior talent in many creative and artistic spheres - including, of course, music. 

Venus in a trine aspect to Mars in Dame Shirley's natal chart attracts positive attention as she radiates charm, vitality, and enthusiasm. Her creative talent comes so naturally to her that she may sometimes, even after many decades in the music business, still be surprised by her own popularity. She actively enjoys bringing pleasure to other people through her work. Interestingly, many opera singers have this planetary combination in their charts, and I have no doubt that she could also have had great success in this particular musical genre if she had chosen to do so. When Venus and Mars are in a very harmonious aspect such as the trine, it brings balance between masculine and feminine energies. Therefore, Dame Shirley has the ability to combine strength with grace, power with elegance, and passion with sensitivity. 

In Dame Shirley's natal chart, Venus is in a sextile aspect to Uranus. This shows the ability to get along with people from all walks of life. Tolerance is very important to her and she hates insincerity. In relationships, she needs freedom and personal space, so unusual set-ups such as long-distance romances would not be a problem. Venus symbolises music and the very positive aspects from both Mars and Uranus emphasise Dame Shirley's singing talent in a very dynamic way.

In 1953, when Dame Shirley signed her first professional contract, transiting Uranus was in an opposition aspect to her natal Sun. This planetary influence would have brought an intense need for personal freedom and independence at this point in her life. New experiences and radical changes are a hallmark of this aspect, but so too are unexpected events, impulsive decisions or spontaneous actions. This is exactly what happened to Dame Shirley when, in 1954, at the age of only 16, she discovered that she was pregnant. She did not return to continue her singing career until two years later in 1955. In February 1956, her first single 'Burn My Candle' was released, and she had her first hit a year later in February 1957 aged 19 with 'The Banana Boat Song'. In January 1959 she had her first number one hit with the song 'As I Love You'. The rest, as they say, is history.

All of this was indicated in her chart by several important planetary influences, including: Solar Arc Venus (music) in a square aspect to the natal Nodes (popularity); Solar Arc Juno (contracts) conjunct natal Mercury (the written word & the media); Solar Arc Saturn (commitments) opposite natal Juno (contracts); Solar Arc North Node (popularity) conjunct the natal Sun (show business, in the spotlight); Transiting Jupiter (good fortune) trine natal Pluto (big money) to name but a few....

LOOKING AHEAD

Since the end of February 2016 transiting Pluto has been in conjunction to Dame Shirley's natal Sun. Continuing until the end of December 2017, this planetary influence will bring a period of great change and a major turning point in her life.

With Solar Arc Uranus conjunct Dame Shirley's natal Pluto throughout 2017 and into 2018 it is highly possible that some kind of memorable event will occur, and it could have a profound impact in certain areas of her life. Something, or someone, will affect her in a very significant way. Under this planetary influence she may encounter strong-willed individuals as either allies or competitors, and because of this, certain issues may arise which could bring an intense need to uncover something that is hidden. Circumstances could force Dame Shirley to get to the bottom of some mystery. This planetary effect could have far-reaching consequences and as a result, Dame Shirley may leave behind a part of her past forever and bring certain conditions in her life to an end.

With her Solar Arc Jupiter conjunct a World Point (0° Aries), it doesn't look as if Dame Shirley will be slowing down. This planetary position tends to bring a powerful desire for self-improvement, reward and recognition. It seems that she will be hugely optimistic for some reason and she'll have a strong urge for adventure. In Dame Shirley's Annual Degree Projection chart Mercury is also conjunct the same World Point, and this planetary influence suggests a connection to writing or public speaking, and the generation of powerful, new ideas. Communication will be a strong theme for Dame Shirley during 2017. I get the feeling that there will be important news about, or an important message from, her. Having already performed three songs for Bond movies throughout her career, it's a well-known fact that she would love to record a fourth. Maybe this will be the year that her wish comes true.....

Dame Shirley Bassey is a strong, independent lady who knows what she wants and won't allow anyone to push her around. Not a diva - but most definitely a class act.