What’s Next For Sarah, Duchess Of York?
The last year and a half have certainly been interesting for Sarah Ferguson, otherwise known and Sarah, Duchess of York. In May 2010 she was filmed offering access to her royal husband for a fee. Around the same time her lawyers took her to court over unpaid fees. Earlier this year she was the subject of a series of TV shows on the OWN network in which she had her various problems analyzed by a battery of experts that included Dr. Phil McGraw. More recently, she walked out of an interview on Australian TV because she felt she had been “ambushed” by questions regarding the “pay for access” scandal. The Duchess has been the subject of media attention, both good and bad, since her marriage to Britain’s Prince Andrew in 1986, but this last flurry of publicity has been particularly grueling.
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Two planets dominate Sarah Ferguson’s horoscope: Venus and Pluto. Together they bracket her Midheaven, the place in the horoscope that represents one’s reputation and public image. Early in her life it was Venus that spoke loudest. For a while after her marriage to Prince Andrew she was the darling of the British press. Her unconventional beauty (Venus is in Virgo, after all) and her unpretentious charm captivated the public. Then, after her separation and divorce from Andrew, it was Pluto that showed itself. Issues with her weight, financial difficulties, business failures and a variety of scandals and public missteps changed her image from that of a beautiful and vivacious royal to the woman of constant sorrow.
In May of 2010 transiting Pluto (Pluto in the sky at that time) was at five degrees of Capricorn, very close to a square to Ferguson’s natal Moon in Aries. When Pluto hits us with a hard aspect like this one its time to put aside our precious delusions and face the truth. The excuses the Duchess has offered for her behavior, that she was depressed, drinking heavily and manipulated by the reporters, served only to emphasize the facts that her lifestyle and her intentions were less than sterling. To her credit, the series of programs on the OWN network were intended to show Ferguson going through the process of transforming herself, a goal that is quite in keeping with the symbolism of Pluto. We should add that during the time this program was aired, Pluto was once again square Ferguson’s natal Moon.
The problem with this approach is that Pluto’s business is rarely conducted in public. Pluto does its work deep in the darkness of the human soul. The kind of down-to-the-roots transformation that Pluto brings us requires time and a lot of quiet contemplation. Typically every step forward is followed with a half-step backward and the path to success is fraught with doubt and self-recrimination. In other words, it is not a process that would generally be considered “good TV.” Ferguson's behavior on the Australian version of “60 Minutes” might be taken as an indication that Pluto is not nearly through with her.
In December 2011 Pluto makes its last exact square with Ferguson’s natal Moon but the aspect remains close for much of 2012. Also during that year Uranus will move into a conjunction with her Moon indicating that any transformation that has occurred will be subject to an immediate and startling test. By the time Uranus makes is first contact with her Moon in May 2012 it should be apparent whether or not she has learned Pluto’s painful lessons. It should be noted that the lesson of Pluto typically involves the loss of something or someone we regard as crucial to our core identity. The loss is often traumatic and it is only with time and much reflection that we finally recognize that we are stronger and less encumbered because of it. It is likely that within the next few months Sarah, Duchess of York will suffer or be forced to acknowledge such a loss.
The positive side of this is the fact that Pluto is a planet with which Sarah Ferguson is already quite familiar. Not only is it strongly placed in her horoscope but she has Mercury and her Ascendant in Scorpio, Pluto’s sign. She has the capacity to learn what Pluto has to teach her and put that lesson to use in an intelligent and personal manner. No one looks forward to a hard Pluto aspect like the one the Duchess has lived through for the pass year and a half. No one survives such a period without some pain and grief but, for Ferguson, this dark period should represent the beginning of a brighter, more positive chapter in her life.
What about you? Have you learned a lesson like Sarah during a hard Pluto aspect? Tell us how you resolved this.
I wrote an article for The Mountain Astrologer magazine in the Aug./Sept. 2010 issue that contains more information on Pluto transits. Good Golly Astrology registered users can read “Putting A Little Pluto Into Your Day” by clicking on that link.
