Famous birth charts · David Foster Wallace
David Foster Wallace’s chart in full
Born February 21, 1962, Ithaca, New York, United States. The chart is cast for noon on the day, and everything shown here held all day long.
Point at a body or a sign to see its connections.
The chart, fact by fact
Planets
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The ten bodies astrology reads: the Sun, the Moon and eight planets. The planet says which part of a person it speaks for, the sign says how that part behaves, and the house says where in life it shows.
Sun in Pisces
The Dreamer. Gentle, dreamy and deep.
2°36′
Moon in Virgo
The Moon moved from Virgo into Libra at 8:22 p.m. that day, local time: in Virgo for a birth before then, in Libra for one after.
25°53′
Mercury in Aquarius
The Inventor. The original thinker.
8°02′
Venus in Pisces
The Tender Heart. Love without limits.
8°42′
Mars in Aquarius
The Rebel. Rebel with a cause.
15°24′
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Jupiter in Aquarius
The Visionary. Faith in a better way.
22°36′
Saturn in Aquarius
The Reformer. The architect of the group.
5°43′
Uranus in Leoretrograde
28°19′
Neptune in Scorpioretrograde
13°28′
Pluto in Virgoretrograde
9°01′
Beyond the planets
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Points read beside the planets. The rising sign, or Ascendant, is the sign coming up over the eastern horizon at the minute of birth: the first impression. The Midheaven is the highest point of the sky: career and public life. The North Node is where the Moon’s path crosses the Sun’s: the direction a life grows in. Chiron, a small body between Saturn and Uranus, is a lifelong sore spot and the gift it leaves for others. Black Moon Lilith, where the Moon’s orbit swings farthest from Earth, is what a person keeps untamed.
North Node in Leo
The direction his life grows in: Leo, warm and dramatic.
18°02′
Chiron in Pisces
In Pisces, Chiron is a tenderness that feels everything a little too much, and a gift for quiet compassion.
6°06′
Black Moon Lilith in Virgo
In Virgo, Lilith is a set of private standards, kept for their own sake and not to please.
12°48′
The rising sign and the Midheaven need the birth time to the minute, so they are left out.
Patterns
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When several aspects lock into one shape, such as a triangle or a cross, the planets in it act together, and the shape says how: easily, under strain, or with one planet as the focus.
Stellium
Three or more planets gathered in one sign or one house, so that part of the chart speaks loudest.
In his chart, his mind, his drive, his optimism and his discipline (Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn) gather in Aquarius, and that part of life drew his attention first.
Aspects by strength
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An aspect is a set angle between two bodies in the sky at birth. Some angles flow, some rub, and some fuse two bodies into one. The number is how far the angle is from exact: the smaller it is, the stronger the link.
Only the aspects that held from the first minute of the day to the last are shown; each figure is for noon.
Venus opposition Pluto almost exact at 0.3°
Love came with high stakes: intense attachments, and a need to know exactly where he stood.
Mercury quincunx Pluto close at 1.0°
What he knew and what he said needed careful managing, and secrets sat uneasily with him.
Mars square Neptune close at 1.9°
Drive and dreams mixed uneasily: the goal was clear to him, and the way to it harder to see.
Mercury conjunction Saturn close at 2.3°
Serious thoughts: he said less than he knew, and what he said held up.
Mars opposition North Node close at 2.6°
Old fights and the way forward disagreed, and he grew by choosing which battles mattered.
The Sun opposition Uranus wide at 4.3°
He needed room to be himself, and any rule that fit too tightly got broken.
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Neptune sextile Pluto wide at 4.5°
A quiet hunger for meaning under everyday life, and a tolerance for great change.
Neptune square North Node wide at 4.5°
Dreams and the way forward clashed, and growing meant trading some illusions for clear sight.
Jupiter opposition North Node wide at 4.6°
Easy hopes and the harder way forward went different ways, and real growth came from the harder one.
Venus trine Neptune wide at 4.8°
A romantic with an artist’s eye: he saw the beauty in people and made it visible to others.
Mercury square Neptune wide at 5.4°
Facts and dreams blurred together in his mind: wonderful for stories, harder when details mattered.
Jupiter opposition Uranus wide at 5.7°
Restless hope: he wanted more freedom than any situation gave, and big changes came suddenly.
The Sun conjunction Venus wide at 6.1°
Charm came naturally: taste, warmth and a love of beautiful things were close to his core.
The Sun opposition Pluto wide at 6.4°
Nothing about him was halfway: he insisted on running his own life, and the struggle made him formidable.
Mars conjunction Jupiter wide at 7.2°
Enthusiasm at full speed: he charged at life with confidence, and setbacks slowed him only briefly.
Mercury conjunction Mars wide at 7.4°
He thought fast and spoke faster: his mind liked a contest, and his words had an edge.
Chart signature
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The chart’s balance at a glance: which of the four elements and three modes it leans on, which body is most connected, and any body standing alone.
Elements
Modes
The Moon changed sign that day; it is counted where it stood at noon.
You and David Foster Wallace
See where your chart meets David Foster Wallace’s, and the signs you share.