Purple Rain

"I only wanted to see you laughing in the purple rain..." - say the lines from Purple Rain, one of the most cult songs of 80s, sung by Prince for the movie with the same name where he played the main role. The rock ballad was not just a super hit of its time, but entered the list of the 500 greatest songs of all time, according to the Rolling Stone magazine, receiving an Oscar for best recording of a song for a film, two Grammy awards and elevating Prince himself to the pinnacle of fame. His name is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the UK Music Hall of Fame and the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame. Without a doubt he is one of the most recognizable, talented, outrageous and colorful performers and musicians of recent decades. His creative genius will forever remain in the history of music.

From the point of view of astrology, it is always surprising to observe how the most important thing with which a person is related is symbolically reflected in the horoscope of his birth. And this 'symbolic' is very different in its uniqueness and originality from the modern 'Sun in Gemini', 'Mars in the 5th house' and 'Uranus aspect to Mercury' - all the fiction of the modern semi-astrology. Symbolism can be reflected both by the position of planets on the border of signs or houses, and their position on one of the Seven Arabian Parts of the Soul, the position of the Parts themselves, or the position of the fixed stars on significant cusps, as well as their conjunction with planets, in the key of the myths, and many other things. There is no rigid framework here, which is so required by lovers of limitations, who believe that all astrology is contained exclusively on the pages of ancient and modern books, as if our whole life is also closed in some patterns written as short notes on the field.

Prince Rogers Nelson’s horoscope, better known simply as Prince, is notable for just such amazing symbolism. It is unlikely that we could see the creation of such a single and album as 'Purple Rain' if we didn’t go beyond the preconceived notions about astrology and try to unravel the celestial mystery created by the Parts of the Soul, stars and planets. Prince's horoscope is not only a wonderful example of this, but also a reminder that, for astrology, life is a unique expression of the boundless creative consciousness of the Cosmos.

PRINCE’S HOROSCOPE

Luckily, we have an accurate record of Prince's birth thanks to the preserved archived records. And this is that rare case when we can look at a celebrity's horoscope with confidence, without being tormented by doubts about whether we should put the Sun on the MC, due to the fact that we are not sure if this is really the exact time of his birth:

7.06.1958 18:17 (GMT -5), MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, USA

Prince Rogers Nelson was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA on June 7, 1958. Growing up in a family of musicians, he was exposed to music from birth, having mastered the piano, guitar and drums by the age of 14. In his youth, he preferred such musical directions as soul, funk and rock music, which of course was reflected in his subsequent works, which were often a mixture of different genres. The rhythm and blues in his performance was combined with lyrical soul and dance funk, that had a great influence on this direction, where before they were mainly separated. Already in 1979, he released his first big hit 'I Wanna Be Your Lover', and in the following years he released several more albums that made a lot of noise, thanks to the provocative lyrics and the outrageous image of Prince himself.

By the time the album 'Purple Rain' was released in 1984, his name was already known outside of the USA, thanks to the singles such as '1999' and 'Little Red Corvette'. And here we stop, in his biography, to focus entirely on the main theme that this article is devoted to - the album 'Purple Rain'.

This album is considered one of the most successful in the history of the music industry, and its super-hit of the same name is Prince's most iconic piece of music, which incorporates rock, pop, gospel and orchestral music. The single became one of the most recognizable songs of the 80s and was named the best song of the 80s by the American electronic magazine Pitchfork. The album itself, for 24 weeks, was top one in the USA, which became one of the biggest achievements in the history of the music industry, and its other two singles - 'When Doves Cry' and 'Let's Go Crazy' - topped the Billboard Hot 100, although the single 'Purple Rain' itself only reached the second place on this chart. The album is rightfully considered one of the best in the entire era of Rock'n'Roll.

What served as the reason for creating such an album, with such a very bright title in Prince's birth chart? For it's not every day that we hear about purple rain. Moreover, it is unlikely that we had heard such an expression before Prince, as it was thanks to him that it came into this world. And now, hearing the expression Purple Rain, we immediately remember this very extraordinary, outrageous and incredibly talented musician and performer. Here is what Prince himself has to say about this single:

"When there's blood in the sky – red and blue = purple... purple rain pertains to the end of the world and being with the one you love and letting your faith/god guide you through the purple rain."

Amazing words of a creative genius. And before we move on directly to the examination of the horoscope, we have to calculate the seven Parts of the Soul, since they will play an extremely important role in the birth chart:

• Part of the Moon or Hunger: 2 degrees Leo

• Part of the Sun or Spirit: 2 degrees Pisces

• Part of Venus or Love: 17 degrees Gemini

• Part of Mercury or Despair: 18 degrees Aries

• Part of Saturn or Captivity: 27 degrees Gemini

• Part of Jupiter or Triumph: 8 degrees Cancer

• Part of Mars or Courage: 19 degrees Pisces

These seven Parts of the Soul form the birth horoscope itself, being its invisible root cause. Not the planets or stars, but the Parts - this is what forms a person, their character and destiny. The planets are just tools in their hands. Because the visible is preceded by the invisible, from which everything proceeds.

The position of the Parts in the birth chart is critical to an astrologer, as is the position of the stars, on the house cusps and in conjunction with the planets. It all depends on what exactly we are going to consider. Indeed, without context, neither Natal Astrology, nor Mundane, nor Horary, nor any other, are able to tell us anything comprehensible. When we do not consider anything in the context of a question or a certain topic that interests us, we fall into the empty talk that is so characteristic to astro-psychologists, with their ridiculous 'forecasts' for a month, a year or even years. How can an astrologer find something without knowing exactly what it is and without understanding what it is that he should be looking for? Many unfulfilled probabilities?

For example, in one of our client's solar returns, the Sun of the Solar return ruled the Ascendant and was in conjunction with the Moon. It was a solar eclipse as the conjunction took place near the Lunar Node. And one astro-psychologist, a few years before this event, predicted her marriage, since the Sun and the Moon are symbols of a man and a woman, and hence marriage, when they are conjuncting in Solar returns. However, the querent had very serious health issues that year, which were directly related to the loss of consciousness (eclipse of the Sun) and panic attacks (Moon), which literally clouded the mind. For the person, this was one of the most difficult periods of her life, and it is worth noting that she was not going to enter into any marriage, since she had been in such for several years and was happy. She was coming round for almost a year, and if the astro-psychologist used the Parts and houses in their practice, they would see that in the Solar return, the Part of the Captivity, or Saturn, was in conjunction with the Ascendant - she spent a year at home, and this also is a very visual reflection of the symbolic 'captivity' or imprisonment. The Moon, on the other hand, ruled the Solar 12th house, and was directly related to panic attacks, in the general context of the situation. So, without knowing the context and the Parts, such astro-psychological 'predictions' are empty talk, with a lot of unfulfilled probabilities, and nothing else. But let’s get back to Prince's horoscope, in which the Parts play key role.

First of all, pay attention to the Part of Triumph, which is in the 8th degree of Cancer. It is represented by the Moon, which rules it. The Moon is in the 4th house of Prince’s chart, at the very bottom. The Moon is the natural ruler of water, and is in Pisces, ruled by Jupiter, the natural ruler of rain. Considering that Jupiter also personifies purple, the image of purple rain begins to emerge before us.

If we also take into account the fact that the Moon is in conjunction with the Part of the Sun, which is Abundance - rays that literally pour out into the world - then the image finds its completion. This is not just purple rain, but rain that will bring triumph and glory to Prince. Rain that pours down, and in large quantities, which reflects not only the watery nature of the Moon, in the watery sign of Pisces, but also the expanding and increasing nature of Jupiter, under whose control it is.

At the same time, the Moon is in conjunction with two stars - Sadalmelik, from the constellation of Aquarius, and Fomalhaut, from the constellation of the Southern Fish. Even though Sadalmelik is closer to the Moon than Fomalhaut, its influence is less because it is a third magnitude star, unlike Fomalhaut, which is a first magnitude star. It's like a student standing next to a teacher and a school director - despite the proximity of the teacher, the director is still more important, and he can influence any decision of the first. Fomalhaut, being one of the Guardians of Heaven, is associated with the birth of Christ, or spiritual transformation. If we take into account that the Moon also exalts Venus, the natural ruler of love, and Venus - the Moon, then the picture becomes even more complete: 'being with the one you love and letting your faith/god guide you through the purple rain' - says Prince, as if paraphrasing the words of Christ about faith and love to God and fellows. Amazing symbolism.

But this purple rain is not at all one continuous grace pouring down from above. The Moon is in conjunction by antiscia with the cusp of the 12th house of suffering and pain. This is expressed also by the proximity of the star Sadalmelik, which symbolizes the painful process of purification, which ultimately leads to the transformation shown both by the proximity of the star Fomalhaut and the recent change of the sign by the Moon, which has come out of the control of Saturn bringing painful life lessons, in the rulership of Jupiter and the place of exaltation of Venus, the mercy and love of God. The words that 'times are changing, it's time we all reach out for something new...', represented by the position of the Moon that has just changed the sign, like Mars as well, makes the best possible expression of this meaning. And the Moon being in the 4th house of the father, completes the picture, because as Prince says in the same name film, which was partially autobiographical: ‘I'd like to dedicate this to my father...‘. This is the symbolism of purple rain.

Sometimes in astrology everything is different compared to how it should be, according to all the rules of books and textbooks. We would have to see Jupiter, the natural ruler of the rain, on some star or in a certain place in the chart, which would give us this symbol of purple rain. But astrology is not words from book; it is a unique reflection of life. To represent purple rain, the Moon suits much better in this chart, reflecting purple rain in the most natural, literal and symbolic way.

Of course, there is much more in this chart besides that. Like, for example, the Sun, which is the representative of the Part of the Moon, or the Hunger of the Soul - that is always lacking - which is in conjunction with the Part of Love, or Venus. Or the stay of the star Regulus on the MC, which will give Prince unconditional success in life, and glory. All this is symbolism, which is not written about in textbooks on astrology, because natal astrology reflects life, and life does not fit into books.

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