Rush Limbaugh died yesterday at the age of 70. Arguably one of the right wing’s strongest influences, he dominated the airwaves of conservative media for over 30 years.
Limbaugh’s chart reveals a cocktail of hidden rage and trauma. With the Sun in Capricorn, he had a strong will to succeed and make his mark, but his Sun was in the 12th house of the hidden and the subconscious, and it was in a challenging square to Neptune, the modern planet which is associated with the 12th house. It’s often said that 12th house Sun people prefer to be hidden, but many politicians and other people of fame have 12th house Suns. However, these individuals tend not to crave the limelight but simply endure it for the sake of their work such as Tony Blair, George W Bush, and Jodie Foster. Perhaps this is why Limbaugh chose the radio format rather than television.
Limbaugh’s Moon was in Pisces – another Neptune/12th house correspondence, but here we have the emotional sensitivity of the Moon in the most sensitive of all signs. In Pisces the Moon tends to lack good boundaries and can easily become overwhelmed. Under its traditional Jupiter rulership, Pisces seeks escapism and the safety of theology, and Jupiter in Limbaugh’s chart is also in Pisces which amplifies the effect of Pisces in the chart. We would normally see these Pisces influences as demonstrating great empathy and depth of feeling, and we will never know if this was true for Rush Limbaugh – if it was, he kept it well hidden. Pisces can be easily deceived and can be somewhat of a shapeshifter and unreliable. Limbaugh was well known to be a fabricator of tall tales and for being somewhat loose with the truth, something which has come to be a hallmark of certain segments of the current political landscape.
But more importantly, the sensitive Pisces Moon was squared in the chart by Chiron, planet of wounding and healing, which suggests a deep sense of abandonment and depression. In addition, Pluto, planet of destruction and regeneration, opposite his Mars (aggression). This is an intense dynamic that typically correlates to a childhood in which violence of some kind is present, and there is often either an inflamed sense of rage, or the rage is repressed and emerges in other ways. Limbaugh’s Mars was in Aquarius which is the orator – the aggression comes out through intelligence and mind manipulation. But in any case, the aggression was potent and powerful especially with Mars, the god of war, in the first house along with Jupiter, the planet that shows where think we should be King.
Limbaugh’s chart includes a hard square aspect between Saturn and Uranus, so it’s interesting that he died on the day that Saturn and Uranus repeated that square in the sky. The aspect is not that unusual – it occurs every 14-15 years. But it does symbolize a conflict between the established order (Saturn) and rebellion against that order (Uranus). We have a birth time for Limbaugh that appears to have been confirmed by his mother reading his birth certificate on the air (per astro.com), and this time presents an Aquarius ascendant. Aquarius can be impersonal, and the combination of this detached facade with the super-sensitive and wounded Chiron/Pisces Moon would lead to a fair amount of overcompensation and a pretense of indifference. As with most individuals who appear to be egotistic, Limbaugh’s pretense at being larger than life would have stemmed from a narcissistic wound. Comments like “Even when I think I’m wrong, I’m right. I am all-knowing” are not usually made by people who are confident and comfortable in their own skin.
As astrologers, we often see the more extreme ideologies when there are inner conflicts between astrological signatures of conservatism (predominance of earth signs, Saturn) and signatures of liberal mindedness (air signs, Uranus). That inner struggle between safety and security and more innovative thinking often results in an individual who becomes dogmatic on the right wing, or angrily rebellious on the left.
This is particularly true for those of us who have strong squares between Saturn and Uranus in our chart such as myself and my own compatriots from the early 1950s. Rush Limbaugh is one of those, with a nearly exact square between Saturn and Uranus, Aquarius, the innovator, is rising in his chart so in some ways you might expect Rush to tilt more to the left. But with the Sun in Capricorn and Saturn opposite the Moon, that conservative bent won the battle between the two ideologies. But more important, the opposition between Mars in Aquarius and Pluto shows an obsession with power that makes the conservative mind view much more comfortable than a more liberal perspective which Rush deems “weak.”
Limbaugh admitted in 2003 to having been addicted to prescription medication for five years, which is not surprising given this cocktail of emotional trauma. He does not appear to have ever sought psychotherapeutic treatment which perhaps would have helped him to get to the root of his psychological pain. In January 2020, with the 2020 Saturn/Pluto conjunction sitting right on his Sun, he was diagnosed with lung cancer after years of denying that smoking was a cause of lung cancer. The irony was not lost on his critics.
Thank you for your analysis of Rush; it’s a lot kinder than the in my opinion, vitriol that the announcement of his passing got from those people who felt most aggrieved or victimized by his actions- Feminists, people of liberal or leftist views and African Americans to name a few.
For me, a Pisces who is struggling with anxiety over as usual her upcoming 65th birthday ( trying not to see the grim reaper over her shoulder) and it being Ash Wednesday in the bargain it troubled ME to spew the word “GOOD” upon hearing of his demise. I felt a need to ask for forgiveness. Later on, at night I thought that Hell was not the best punishment for him as so many others wished upon him. What little I know about Karma and considering that he influenced millions over many decades perhaps it would be better for him to be reincarnated in a different space as a Black male or a female afflicted with real oppression without relief. Then he could experience what oppression he had helped to inflict by his words = actions onto countless others.
appropriately said and my sentiments exactly….most of these individuals who turn a blind eye to the suffering of others need a lesson in humility! To whom much is given, much will be required (Luke 12:48)
Thank you for your kind response. I felt at peace asking for forgiveness and healing as the upcoming birthday on Feb 22 has been difficult for me ever since I turned 20. I started feeling depressed after that feeling that the best years of my life were over and that adulthood simply meant MORE toil, pain and hardship. My mother a Saggitarian was extremely angry and annoyed with my feelings. I can be happy about everyone else’s birthday but my own but I work hard at it first being grateful for every single day of life.
I didn’t know that Rush Limbaugh came from wealth and acquired more obviously. Hopefully, he will reform in his next incarnation as I hope to do in mine- we are all spiritual beings as work in progress. Again your response has brought me great comfort. Please keep safe.
Yes I can relate to you. I have a 12th house Sagittarius Sun. I used to feel down on my birthday and now am working on cultivating gratitude for all my blessings.
Celebrate who you are and your journey. Happy Birthday!
Thank you Lynn. I really appreciate your non judgmental and compassionate explanations for persons who appear to have difficult personalities. Trying to learn astrology always helps me with trying to understand my own life and motivations. With our current sometimes vitriolic landscape, compassion and deeper explanations seem to be sorely needed. We all would like to be treated fairly without condemnation if only we could learn to treat each other with respect.
It’s not always easy, but I try to be as neutral as I can and let the astrology speak for itself. ❤️
Socially Rush was said to have been rather shy.