Elvis Presley

The American rock singer, musician and actor Elvis Presley was born on January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi. He came to be one of the greatest artists of the 1900s, by many called The King, and his albums sold far more than any other artist's.

He was the only child of Vernon and Gladys Presley. His mother was expecting twins but Elvis' twin brother was dead at birth, something that came to follow the artist as a shadow through life. The family, who lived in humble circumstances, was strongly religious and belonged to an Assembly of God church, where singing and music was a key ingredient, and where the vocally talented Elvis sang in the church's gospel choir. In 1948 the family moved to Memphis, Tennessee.

It was not long before his talent was discovered and he was in a band that began performing and making recordings. Soon Elvis had a contract with the record label RCA Victor and his career took off rapidly with songs like All Shook Up, Hound Dog, Heartbreak Hotel, Jailhouse Rock, Love Me Tender, Blue Suede Shoes and whatever they were called. Elvis immense popularity was based on his charismatic style, his way of singing and his wiggling hips.

He was married to Priscilla Presley, whom he met during military service in West Germany. The marriage lasted from 1967 to 1973. Their daughter Lisa Marie was born on the day nine months after the wedding.

It is known that Elvis Presley had an unusually close and intimate relationship with his mother. He took her untimely death on 14 August 1958, at age 45, very hard. Elvis' mother, Gladys, suffered from depression and took antidepressant medication. Early Elvis began experimenting with her medications and this was the start of a lifelong addiction. Over the years the artist took more and more damage from his drug abuse and towards the end he was in very bad shape. His death occurred on 16 August 1977, days before he was to begin another tour. The cause of death was reported as heart failure, but there is no doubt that it was the prolonged and intensive drug addiction that lay behind his death. He was only 42 years.

His birth chart looks like this:

Elvis Presley, 8 January 1935, 04:35, Tupelo, Mississippi, USA

(Source: Astro DataBank)

Prominent characters in Elvis' horoscope are Capricorn (with the Sun, Mercury and Venus in the Second House), Pisces (with the Moon and IC), Sagittarius (with the Ascendant), Aquarius (with Saturn, the North Lunar node) and Virgo (with the Midheaven and Neptune). The Earth element predominates, suggesting a practical, efficient and down to earth person. Stressed houses are the Second of resources, talents and assets, and the Third of communication.

The first quadrant is most represented - an independent, self-centered nature. Likewise, the eastern and northern hemispheres dominate - a self motivated person who stakes out his own path, and whose own resources are the basis of all success. The Moon is in its waxing phase - an impulsive, subjective person seeking new ways of expression and loving to start new projects.

The Ascendant in Jupiter-ruled Sagittarius gives the image of an open, outgoing and confident person, full of energy and enthusiasm, which matches very well with Elvis strong personal appeal and charisma. But the Ascendant ruler Jupiter is itself in Pluto-ruled Scorpio on the Twelfth House cusp which may in turn reflect a more closed and introverted side of The King. Jupiter's only aspect is a sextile to the Sun.

The Second House with the three planets in Capricorn of course first of all demonstrates the artist's great talent (the Sun forms a trine with musical and artistic Neptune while Mercury, Venus and the North Lunar node all are squaring the "rocking" Uranus in Aries on the Fifth House cusp) but then again it also reflects all the income and possessions the mega career brought him. Uranus, which from its placement in Aries on the Fifth House cusp rules the Third House of communication, reflects the the rocking legend's "electrified" and unpredictable performance on stage.

The Moon in Pisces in the Third House in conjunction with Saturn shows deep feelings and suggest something about Elvis' great sympathy with his mother and perhaps some difficulties with emotional boundaries. The Neptune-ruled Fourth House in Pisces reflects the family's religiosity as well as the "boundlessness" suggested by Elvis' unusually intimate relationship with his mother, and even the drug abuse that Elvis became involved in. Saturn in conjunction with the Moon in the Third House reveals paradoxically a shyness and lack of confidence - something Elvis himself also admitted that he suffered from, at least in his youth.

The Moon in the Third House of siblings form a square with Chiron (wounds and pain) in Gemini near the Descendant. Elvis stillborn twin brother, Jesse Gordon, was delivered at 04:00 am, about half an hour before Elvis, and a horoscope for that time places Chiron exactly on the Descendant.

The revolutionary and disruptive side of Elvis' performances is clearly expressed through the dramatic T-cross with Uranus in Aries on the Fifth House cusp as the focal point squaring the planets in the Second and Eighth Houses. Combined with Pars Fortunae in Libra on the Eleventh House cusp it forms a "cosmic cross" all over the chart - it is as if there is no return, all may make or break!

Something of the same "make or break" situation is shown by the "Thor's Hammer" pattern formed by Venus squaring Uranus, both in sesquisquare to Neptune (music, artistry, dance) high in heaven. Ambitious Mars is also high in the sky in Libra in the Tenth House of career, disposed by Venus and ruling the Fifth House of creativity and artistry. Pluto in Cancer in the Eighth House in conjunction with the South Lunar node suggests that Elvis was not unfamiliar with life's dark sides.

Pars Fortunae in Libra on the Eleventh House cusp mirrors fulfillment by belonging and joy through pleasing others (the Eleventh House of friends and community).

It may be added that there is an alternative birth time for Elvis Presley and that there is some uncertainty as to which of the two is right. The time I have used is the "official" time, from the obstetrician's journal entry, where the stillborn twin brother Jesse Garon is said to have been delivered at 04:00 while "Evis Aaron" ("Elvis" misspelled by the doctor) is said to be born 04:35 (the time I have used). The actual birth certificate, however, gives no indication of time.

Another birth time - 03:30 - was reported by Elvis himself (with the support of his father, Vernon) to the renowned astrologer Dane Rudhyar, who in turn rectified the birth time to 03:34.

Elvis Presley, 8 January 1935, 03:34, Tupelo, Mississippi, USA

(Source: Dane Rudhyar)

So the question is, did the obstetrician make an error in his records or did Elvis's father, Vernon, who was only 19 years when Elvis was born, report the wrong time?

The "Rudhyar-horoscope" has the Ascendant in Scorpio and Neptune in the Tenth House in conjunction with the Midheaven. In other respects, however, there is not much difference between the two horoscopes.

© Mats Bergman 2013