Appendix A
Five examples for rectification of the chart of Virginia Woolf

It would not be right to use Woolf’s mental breakdowns to rectify her chart because their astrology is the astrology we want to examine with an already rectified chart. So, I started with the two homes she was most happy with as an adult. They were Asheham House, which was leased in September, 1910, and Monk’s house, bid on and bought on July 1, 1919. The 4th and 7th charts are consulted for fortunate purchase or rental of homes . Here I present only the major supporting conditions of her 4th chart.

Event 1
In her 4th chart on September (15), 1910, date of the lease of Asheham house, Woolf had:

At that time she also had lighted venus and lighted jupiter influencing 4th houses.

Event 2
On July 1, 1919, date of purchase of Monk’s house, in her 4th chart Woolf had:

Event 3
In her 7th chart on August 10, 1912, date of her marriage to Leonard Woolf, Virginia had:

She also had lighted venus and lighted jupiter influencing 7th houses at the time.

Event 4
In her 7th chart on November 20, 1906, date of the death from typhoid of her brother Thoby at age 26, Woolf had:

She also had a progressed mercury/node. Progressed B Asc at 10 Gemini 54 presents no problem for her 7th chart, but in her 3rd chart it is aspecting her sun/moon/node/neptune/neptune, her semi-schizophrenic set, the one forefront in one of her suicide attempts as well as for her suicide. At the time her progressed b3 mercury was at 8 Aries 44 R conjunct her c saturn at 8 Aries 07, and, importantly, she had:

So far this is exactly the same as the first set listed in Event 4 because all the planets are non-harmonic, therefore occur the same in all charts. However, to it add her 3rd chart progressions:

Event 5
In her 7th chart on July 18, 1937 (her sister, Stella, died on July 19, 1897), date of the death of her beloved nephew, Julian Bell (working in the ambulance service in the Spanish Civil War), Woolf had:

In her 3rd chart she had a progressed sun/mars/neptune:

The above set influences neither Angles nor 3rd houses. It also contains the progressed benefic, pc3 jupiter at 14 Pisces 07 (ruler of c 7th and 8th houses).

The deaths of her brother and nephew were indicated by prominent mercury affliction, especially in her 7th chart, but even in her 3rd chart.

While we are looking at Mrs. Woolf’s charts, we should glance at her harmonic chart for her 5th house. Conditions in the 5th and 7th charts are primary indicators for sexuality. Mrs. Woolf had an a-sexual, but happy marriage. Below, in her partial 5th chart, are shown conditions fostering her inability to enjoy sex.

Does this chart show the molestation ("sexual fondling") by her half-brother to which her later frigidity if often attributed? Molestation and sexual abuse are shown in the 7th chart. She does not have ruler of a 5th house in a 1st house--the most frequent indicator of possible sexual (5th) abuse in childhood (1st) in this chart. She does have ruler of c 3rd house (siblings, among other things) in c 5th house (sex): moon rules c 3rd, and is in c 5th at 12 Libra 58. Ah, but moon usually means many sexual encounters, does it not? Yes, but Mrs. Woolf also has c7 saturn, squelcher of sensation (and ruler of C MC), at 12 Libra 59, conjunct that moon.

Libra is one of the appeasing signs because it is venus-ruled. It helps explain her inability to say “no.”

Moon in 5th in a woman’s chart can mean her own sexuality, but it may also indicate sexual interest in women (moon). Her relationship with Vita Sackville-West is well-known. However, likely it, too, was either not sexual, or not sexual for very long because Woolf’s strong 5th/saturn emphasis kills interest in sexuality with either a man or a woman.

In spite of her frigidity [she stated near the end of her life, “I never was able to enjoy my body.” (743)], Mrs. Woolf was quite sensual. How can some one--astrologically, at least--be sensual and yet be non-sexual? Mrs. Woolf did it by having b SN at 14 Taurus 06, B Asc at 15 Taurus 11, and, in her harmonic chart for her 1st house, b1 venus at 17 Taurus 56. Together they represent an identity with a strong sensuality--something we will see again in the chart of Nijinsky. For Mrs. Woolf, her South Node/Asc in Taurus is not only sensual, it represents somewhat of a problem. South Node is represents, for individual, where her consciousness is coming from. Her growth is indicated by her opposite, North Node consciousness. So, conjunct the Ascendant--an Angle indicating the consciousness with which we are, in general, meeting life head-on--is represents a problem. It means she is, to some extent, facing the past rather than the future. That makes growth difficult. Ultimately (spiritually), Mrs. Woolf’s sexual dysfunction may have been related to her need to get free from a strong sensuality. Even her relationship to food (another sensual experience) was short-circuited. A symptom accompanying her mental breakdowns was an inability to eat.

I have to wonder how much this problem--not being able to enjoy her body--affected Mrs. Woolf’s mind. Surely it made a difference. It made her head heavy. It made her dependent on her mind for balance.