John Wayne Redux – Transits to the Angles
Rodden Rating C birthtime of 5:00 AM vs rectified time of 2:02:20 PM
Some astrologers view my rectifications without merit, especially for a case like John Wayne, whose Astrodatabank birth time is based on a newspaper account which states he was born in the morning. On the surface, this should surely rule out any time after 12:00 noon. But throwing all the tools at a morning horoscope yields no solid results. These methods, what I advertise as Stage I, II, and III rectification techniques, are described in my first book A Rectification Manual: The American Presidency (4th edition, 2023).
For John Wayne, Stage I techniques confirm the figure is diurnal by Firdaria analysis. But Stage I favors the Lot of Spirit in the sign Aries, which argues for an early afternoon birth time. ZRS from Aries yields consistent delineation matches to his early acting career under L1 Gemini and his mature acting phase under L1 Cancer. Gemini is angular from the Lot of Fortune, and Cancer includes Jupiter, which is the victor of the horoscope. Event matches to key ZR periods, including foreshadowing and loosing of the bond periods, are included in an Excel workbook available to paid subscribers.
Stage II techniques include transits in order to narrow the Ascendant/Midheaven degree range to within 1–4 degrees. Transits to the angles for major film releases routinely form reliable rectificaiton measurements for actors and actresses. John Wayne is no exception. For Wayne, the following transits made short work of the rectification process, easily narrowing the angles to within 1 degree of precision.
1. Red River (1-Sep-1948)
trJupiter 19SA31 10th from Lot of Fortune 19PI11.
This film was his first major box office success following World War II and helped cement his reputation as A-list talent for the next decade.
2. The High and the Mighty (3-Jul-1954)
trMaars 29SA53-retro conj IC, Jupiter return.
With Wayne known as a gunman in westerns, this film role marked a departure. He played a co-pilot of an airplane which suffered engine failure early in the flight. Wayne’s role tackled the fear of crashing and the technical prowess demanded to land the plane safely. Consider Sagittarius is the sign of flight, with Mars/Sagittarius a frequent significator of military aircraft; but in this case, a civilian plane with a life-threatening engine problem which functionally turned the plane into a flying bomb. While it is possible to match the plane’s engine failure to Mars retrograde, look closer at the relationship between Sun and Mars. Mars is a few days after acronycal rising. Planets at acronycal rising, while retrograde, are very bright in the night sky and temporarily reassert their direct-motion style of function. But this effect quickly fades. I suggest that Mars a few days after acronycal rising is a match to the period of time immediately after the crisis of the actual engine failure, when fear begins to subside. Mars’ ruler Jupiter/Cancer (Wayne’s own victor) ensures a safe landing.
3. The Alamo (24-Oct-1960)
trMoon+Jupiter conjunct IC
More so than any other film, The Alamo was a personal crusade for John Wayne. He cared little for historical accuracy; instead, he sought to breathe life into a story of bravery and sacrifice necessary to revitalize the American spirit. The film’s plot fully captures the natal Moon’s configuration delineated in the natal database entry.
4. The Green Berets (19-Jun-1968)
trVenus, Sun, Mars conj MC (Venus and Mars are both cazimi; Venus first, then Mars)
In a scathing review, The Green Beret was described as “immoral…a simple-minded tract in praise of killing, brutality, and American superiority over Asians.” Production followed Wayne’s travel to Vietnam, where he also appeared in films directed by the Defense Department. With both Mars and Venus out-of-sect in the natal horoscope, their cazimi placement on the MC demonstrates the film reflected values which were out of step with American society at large. The film, however, was successful at the box office.
