The blog was feeling a little dude-heavy so I wanted to do a female for my next analysis. I wasn’t sure who to pick but ended up listening to an ID10T podcast with Ted Danson & Mary Steenburgen where they mentioned getting arrested last year at a rally with Jane Fonda.

Perfect, I thought! In her 80’s she’s still out making an impact on the world, agitating authority and getting arrested. Where does that passion and energy come from?

I was aware of Jane Fonda when I was young, but all that registered was that she was a “sex symbol,” movie star, and a feminist icon. The Jane Fonda that I was exposed to though was during the 80’s fitness craze & her marriage to Ted Turner. Plus, my teenage Duran Duran obsession had me seek out the film Barbarella that she starred in. Quick review: I wish I could tell you it was fantastic, but it was just super silly and totally camp. If nothing else, just watch it for the ridiculous lines, like “An angel doesn’t make love; an angel is love.”

In terms of her activism, my obliviousness at the time to political events meant I didn’t really understand all the controversy around her during the Vietnam War, but knew she was pretty vocal about her beliefs. And of course, now I’m much more aware of her participation in marches, rallies and protests against our current (horrendous) government actions.

For her birth information, I used Astrodatabank, and for background, I relied on her Wikipedia page. For the analysis, I wanted to focus on her activism, her energy & motivation, her parents, and her male relationships (3 husbands!). At the end, I did a short Solar Return analysis for 1949, the year her mother committed suicide.

GENERAL OVERVIEW

So, the first thing I noticed with this chart was the fact that she & I basically have the exact same house cusps. The late degree of Capricorn on the ASC, distortion with Scorpio on the MC and the interception of Aquarius/Leo on the 1/7 axis. This distortion puts the earth signs on 1, 4 and 8 instead of 1, 5 and 9 so we see her struggling with love (quincunx between 1 & 5) and pushing herself to live up to her higher values (square between 1 & 9). With her 11th sign on the 10th cusp, she wants to be part of a group, and in Scorpio, she wants to be emotionally involved with her career. That’s where the similarity ends, though, since my life hasn’t been nearly as eventful or public. A comparison of our charts makes for a cogent example of the influence of the planets in different houses!

A 16-point quick analysis shows the tone of the chart shows the abundance of fixed signs with an even split between earth and water, making the Taurus/Scorpio axis a strong influence, which we see confirmed by Scorpio on the MC. Winter signs are emphasized as well, giving her a maturity and ripeness that can be lacking with the more youthful spring signs. We also notice 7 out of 10 planets on the east side and 7 out of 10 planets in the upper part of the chart, giving the sense that building her own future is a strong factor in her motivation. This is confirmed by the grand trine in earth signs with Mercury, Uranus and Neptune, underscoring her emphasis on security, money, and tangible results.

PERSONALITY & ACTIVISM

When we take a look at her ASC, we can see Capricorn on the cusp with Saturn in Pisces in her second house and, since I’ve been taught to also look at the ruler by exaltation, we see Mars in the first in Aquarius. I’d take Saturn as more impactful here because it’s in an exact aspect with the ASC where Mars is enclosed and not aspecting the cusp. Of course, we also notice that Jupiter-Pluto opposition sitting right on the cusp of the ASC, but we’ll get to that in a minute.

Now, with such a late degree on the house cusp, I’ve been taught to take the next sign into account and since it’s enclosed within the 1st, I’d do that anyway. So now we’re doubling the impact of Saturn, traditional ruler of Aquarius, and Uranus in her third house in Taurus.

When we think about this combination of signs and planets, we get the sense that she is a hard worker, methodical, security-oriented, an excellent earner and wants to express her energy through altruistic or social causes in an unusual way. However, it can also be said that she has difficulty expressing her emotions, has issues with self-esteem, and can cause upset through her words and actions.

Now let’s add in that Jupiter-Pluto opposition. When I see this, I think “big explosion” and it falls right across the houses that deal with relationships. Externally we see her profound impact on the public through her actions, while in her personal life, she’s had three marriages and difficult relationships with men in general, especially her father. This combination would also give her magnetism, optimism, heightened sexuality, and a “larger-than-life” presence. She must be a force of nature in person, crackling with vitality and giving off a sense of mystery.

As a planet physically in the 1st house, Jupiter has 100% impact on the affairs of the 1st. Its nature is to expand so we see the big idealism (Aquarian) guiding her personality, but it’s also coming from the 11th as ruler of Sagittarius. She has support from powerful people and big groups and she helps to amplify their message (Uranus in the 3rd) through her words and actions. The Pluto opposition makes her influence very profound, and notice Pluto is ruler of her 10th, so destruction of our perceived comfort and security (Cancer on 7th) and rebuilding it in a more humanitarian way.

**Jupiter/Pluto Opposition in Angular Houses**

When we look to the aspects received by the rulers of the ASC, Saturn, Mars and Uranus, notice how many exact aspects they make to important planets and houses in her chart.

If we start with Saturn, the most exact aspect it makes is a square to the Sun, giving her tremendous ambition and making her competitive in nature. She’s able to use that energy to fight for social causes (Sagittarius & Pisces), perhaps more often from behind the scenes than we know, but she must also struggle with self-esteem with the Sun entering her 12th house of hidden fears and subconscious. The 12th house is a difficult place for the Sun since it’s like hiding your light from the world, but as we see in her chart, multiple factors go against that to push her into the spotlight. Of course, we can’t overlook the additional repetition that Saturn rules her 12th because of house distortion.

Next, Saturn’s exact trine to Pluto (co-ruler of her 10th) helps her tap into her into tremendous power and direct it towards the public and social change. The opposition to Neptune gives her the ability to manipulate emotions, be deceived by others and shows money making through fantasy and film. Lastly, I’d consider Saturn in an out-of-sign sextile to Jupiter since it’s at 0 degrees Aquarius. This is now the third connection to her ASC, adding to Saturn’s power and giving her the determination to fight for her beliefs.

With Mars, we see the sextile to the Sun, again bringing her Sun to the 1st house. Mars is also the co-ruler of her 10th, and this aspect adds to the sense that she has an unwavering will to keep fighting for her cause. She’s likely to also be pretty aggressive, and with the opposition of Mars to Moon, she likes to provoke others, especially if they’re a public figure and hold some position of power. This opposition happens in signs that are enclosed so it loses some strength, but in the angular houses it still packs a punch.

**Aspects to Mars, Ruler of MC by Exaltation**

With Uranus, we see the Mercury coming into play for the first time with the double departing trine. Mercury is interesting because in Virgo, it’s the only planet in her element, earth, that is in honor. This gives it more influence since she’s able to easily tap into its energy. Mercury is also the lower octave of Uranus so they have a natural connection that is potentially enhanced by the aspect. I would say this adds a deeply penetrating mind that’s focused on making big changes to structure and security. She has encountered many upheavals in regard to relationships and her persona, plus she’s caused many upheavals through her outspoken humanitarian views.

**Aspects to Uranus, Co-Ruler of the ASC**

SUCCESS

I won’t go too much into her professional success since that’s a matter of record, but I did want to bring a few points related to her public profile. As I mentioned in the general overview, she has the 11th sign from Capricorn on the MC (Scorpio), showing how she wants to be associated with a given social group.

The rulers, Mars and Pluto, occupy the 1st and 7th house respectively, having maximum impact on the main drives of life: self, partner, home and future (houses 1, 4, 7, 10). Pluto in the 7th in Cancer shows her honors and undertakings will be public, polarizing, destructive yet also ultimately rebuilt and deeply emotional. Mars in the 1st in Aquarius shows that her destiny in some way comes to her and as the planet of muscle in a masculine sign, she’s able to use it to act and shape her future.

The Moon in the 7th in Leo is most closely aspecting the MC with an exact square (19 minutes of arc!), and reinforces that feeling of struggling with public perception and trying to express her instinct for leadership. Neptune sextile the MC adds to the feeling of selling fantasy and earning money for others through Neptunian careers (actress, ruler of the 2nd in the 8th house), while Mercury sextile the MC gives her a focused mind, foresight and an excellent intellect to set and achieve her goals.

Next, we have Mars, Saturn and Pluto again, integrating the influences on her Ascendant but directing the energy towards her future: ambition, hard work, foresight, and the ability to force a generational shakeup and rebuild public perception.

SUN/MOON

If we look at the relationship between her Sun and Moon, we see they’re in trine in fire, giving her the ability to use her will (the Sun) to achieve what she hungers for (the Moon). So, taking into consideration the house placement, she is motivated to self-realize and is able to use her celebrity for social change and to lead the public. It’s not always welcome, however as the Sun is ruler of the 7th in the 12th. Sometimes the public becomes her enemy and in a big way (Sun disposed by Jupiter on her ASC).

RELATIONSHIPS

Next up, relationship with the men in her life. She had a famous and famously abusive father plus 3 failed marriages to powerful men.

If we look at the father first, actor Henry Fonda, he would be represented by her 10th house. We see the intense sign Scorpio there and the explosive Pluto sitting right on her 7th house cusp and the aggressive Mars in her 1st. With both rulers in her angular houses and sending aspects to the cusp (Mars square and Pluto trine) we see the immense impact he had on her. Since they’re “malefic” planets, we see the tense and emotional relationship the two of them shared.

Add to that the Moon in Leo squaring his ASC from his 10th (her 7th house), you see that he wasn’t someone who wanted his authority questioned. Neptune sending a sextile adds imagination and creativity, perfect for an actor, but in Virgo, we get they hyper-perfectionist qualities that would have pushed on his daughter, contributing to his cruel verbal abuse.

We also see a trine to his ASC from Saturn, representing her. She was emotionally attached to him but it wasn’t a healthy relationship. Saturn is the planet of ice and isolation and in his 5th, she suffered emotionally from his inability to express his love for her or anyone else.

**The Father Represented By the 10th House**

Her first husband, movie producer Roger Vadim, would be represented by her 7th house, which with the influences of Pluto, Saturn, Jupiter and the Moon, must have been an incredibly controlling and emotionally volatile person. Not to mention he seemed like a complete lech, sexually adventurous and constantly bedding his leading ladies with Venus in Sagittarius in his 5th and Saturn square the Sun joining his 6th & 8th houses (sexual sickness).

**1st Husband, Roger Vadim, Represented By the 7th House**

Politician and activist Tom Hayden, her second husband, would be represented by the 9th house. We see Libra on the cusp of what would be his ASC with Venus in the 3rd in Sagittarius, and Saturn, ruler by exaltation, in his 5th. I get the sense that in the end, his pursuit of social justice was more important than the relationship, especially with Pluto in Cancer (destruction of society’s foundations) and the Moon in Leo (craving leadership) in what would be his 11th house (groups and networking).

**2nd Husband, Tom Hayden, Represented By the 9th House**

Media mogul Ted Turner was her third husband and is represented by her 11th house with Jupiter in his 3rd in Aquarius, showing his massive influence on media and communications. If we look at his MC, Jane’s 8th house, Virgo is on the cusp with Mercury in Taurus in his 2nd and Neptune in the 11th, we get the sense that although they likely shared many of the same political views, his need for freedom (Jupiter in Aquarius) and obsession with making money (earth element and Mercury in 2), likely contributed to the demise of the marriage.

**3rd Husband, Ted Turner, Represented By the 11th House**

MOTHER

We’ve already touched on her father and how he influenced her growing up, but her mother’s suicide was another key moment that we can analyze.

For the chart, I did her solar return for 1949 since her mother committed suicide in April of 1950. For the location, I chose Los Angeles, California and I’ll admit I don’t know 100% that’s where she spent her birthday, but given her parents were already separated with her mother in a mental facility in NY and her father a successful working actor in Hollywood, I surmised that Jane would have been with him at the time.

I don’t have the mother’s full birth information so I’ll look at her as represented in Jane’s natal, which would be Jane’s 4th house. We see Taurus, one of the most feminine signs on the cusp with Venus in her 8th (Jane’s 11th house is the mother’s 8th), which gives her a lifelong connection with the house of death. Venus just also happens to be the ruler of the mother’s 6th as well with Libra on the cusp, signifying sicknesses. Love must have been very important to her, but with her husband shown as Scorpio with Pluto in her 4th, he must have been very controlling and his actions very destructive to her end of life.

The ruler by exaltation is the Moon, which we find enclosed squaring from Leo, plus we see Neptune sending a trine from the mother’s 5th to her ASC. From this we get the sense of her being confined by the power of the family and a hint of the sexual abuse she claimed she suffered as a child. Another thing to notice is the Uranus, co-ruler of her 10th (Capricorn/Aquarius) in her 12th and aspecting Mercury in Capricorn. This gives us a hint of her psychological problems that landed her in the institution.

**Jane Fonda’s Mother Represented By the 4th House + Rulers + Aspects In the Natal Chart**

In the solar return, we look to the 4th again as representative of her mother, and we see the sign Pisces. The immediate sense is that for the year, she’ll suffer through the 4th house affairs (parents and specifically her mother). The Ruler, Neptune, is in the mother’s 8th, repeating the placement from the natal – ruler of 1 in 8, connecting her with death. Staying on the Pisces influence, we see the traditional ruler, Jupiter, and the ruler by exaltation, Venus, are in the mother’s 12th, signaling hospitalizations. This Jupiter/Venus conjunction also brings together the mother’s ruler of 1 (Venus-life) with the ruler of her 8th Jupiter-death)

Uranus, ruler of the 12th, is in the mother’s 5th in Cancer and most closely aspecting the cusp by trine, signaling emotional instability. We also see a difficult Mars/Saturn conjunction in her 7th showing the influence of Henry’s rejection, which was mentioned as a triggering factor in her suicide – his request for a divorce.

**Jane Fonda’s Mother Represented By the 4th House in the Solar Return**

When we put the charts together, there are a few points that seem to repeat and underscore the effect on Jane. Jane’s natal ASC falls in her solar 3rd, connecting her with family for the year, while her natal 10th falls in her solar 1st once we account for the orb of influence. Looking again at the Jupiter/Venus conjunction, the rulers of her mother’s 1st and 8th come to the mother’s 10th for the year, but impact Jane’s 1st for the year. This conjunction is also opposite Pluto, ruler of Jane’s 10th, her destiny. The Moon, the mother’s ruler by exaltation, also comes to the cusp of Jane’s 1st/the mother’s 10 and receives a conjunction from the solar Pluto.

The Saturn/Mars conjunction, rulers of Jane’s natal 1st, fall in her solar 10th, showing how this is an important year for her – she has a powerful incident that affects her future. It’s also the mother’s 5th signaling that she felt unloved by the husband.

**Saturn Mars Conjunction in 1949 Solar**

Also, notice Mercury comes to an exact return by sign and degree in Capricorn, reactivating the influence and expressing it through Jane’s 2nd/the mother’s 9th house. We get the sense again that her destiny for the year (Mercury as ruler of solar 10th) is to suffer (natal 12th) through the thoughts and actions of the mother (Mercury). While in Jane’s natal chart the Mercury gains from the trine from Uranus and contributes to her independent thinking, in the solar it receives a trine from the Saturn/Mars conjunction and square from Neptune. It’s difficult for such heavy planets to aspect a lighter planet like Mercury and the mother’s thinking must have been very emotional, confused and fatalistic, leading to suicide.

So, there we are. Let me know if you see anything else of note that I haven’t mentioned or have any questions. Thanks for reading!

JANE FONDA

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