Peter Jennings, anchor of ABC “World News Tonight” and
someone with a face and name recognized by virtually every American,
died August 7, 2005 but how many of us knew who this man really was?
He was drawn to broadcasting at the young age of ten on a
children's radio show and quit school in favor of a career in Canadian
radio. In the early 1960s, he rose to the position of anchorman
for Canadian TV and at the young age of 26, he was picked to host the
ABC Evening News. This occurred when Jupiter (good fortune and
opportunity) was moving through his 10th house of career. Not
satisfied with the perception by his audience that he was too young
and inexperienced for such a prestigious and venerable position, he
quit (he wasn't demoted) after three years to work as a foreign anchor
and correspondent. What accounts for this meteoric rise to the
top of his chosen profession at such a young age?
His birth chart
(his birth info was given by him) has Saturn in the 10th house of
career indicating an ambitious nature and, with Saturn in Aries and
Aries ruling that house, a desire and aspiration to build a reputation
of respect for his work. Mars in his chart is conjunct the Sun
in Leo in his 1st house so he was courageous, confident, and willing
to take risks - he was not afraid to report from war zones in Lebanon
and Bosnia. This placement also indicates that he was a leader
in his field, that he took pride (Leo) in his work (Mars ruling his
10th) and that his identity was strongly linked to his career and
professional achievements (Mars conjunct Sun).
With four planets in Virgo in the 3rd house (especially Mercury), he
was an exceptional communicator but he was also a meticulous editor.
He always personally edited his script before it was aired.
These planets (two of them trine Uranus) also symbolized his
strong curiosity. His Moon and Venus in the 3rd house sometimes
manifested as a display of emotion in his voice, such as on September
11, 2001, and his empathy and compassion for suffering were evidence of
Neptune in that house. Jennings was an itinerant storyteller and
had an insatiable thirst for knowledge and information (Mercury, the
strongest planet in his chart, in its domicile and exaltation in Virgo
opposite Jupiter in his domicile in Pisces). Though he regretted
never pursuing a college education, with this Mercury-Jupiter opposition
he was truly a man of the world, educated by and in the world through
communication, experience and travel (Jupiter, representing higher
education, in universalistic Pisces). He loved travel and
adventure because Jupiter in his chart rules the 9th house of adventure
and international travel. His sense of humor also stemmed from
this placement (as well as from Venus in his 3rd house trine Uranus).
His humanitarian and compassionate qualities were
symbolized by Jupiter (justice/fairness) ruling the 9th house in Pisces
(compassion) and by Uranus (altruism) in the 11th house trine Neptune
(compassion). Broadcasting is symbolized by Mercury/3rd house
(communications), by Jupiter/9th house (reaching many people), and by
Uranus (the airwaves). Jennings was born and destined to be a
broadcaster and naturally gravitated to this profession, even in
childhood (Mercury conjunct the cusp of the 3rd in Virgo -
communications, Jupiter near the 9th and ruling that house, and Venus
and Neptune in the 3rd trine Uranus in the 11th). Venus in the
3rd house trine Uranus in his 11th house gave him a friendly,
disarming voice and demeanor and meant that he knew many people.
He knew how to connect with his audience and the way
he phrased the stories he reported and was visibly moved at times
(Moon, Venus and Neptune in his 3rd house) made him charismatic (Leo),
popular (Moon), appreciated and even loved (Venus) by many viewers.
This also was the reason he was amiable and thoughtful in
personal conversations. I am not a fan of network news broadcasts
because of their biases, shallowness and sensationalism but I sometimes
watched Jennings because I liked him. Despite these endearing
qualities, he was not an easy-going boss. With Pluto, Mars and
Sun in the 1st house and Saturn in the 10th, he was in charge, in
control, demanding, had a short temper, could sometimes be arrogant,
and knew what he wanted (and wanted it right away). His four
planets in Virgo also made him very picky, a perfectionist, and never
satisfied with mediocrity.
Saturn (Capricorn) ruled his 7th house of partnerships
so his career was a source of distraction and even competition (it's
in Aries) in his four marriages. He was also very self-centered
and self-absorbed with Pluto, Mars and Sun (the latter two in Leo) in
the 1st house, not to mention controlling, so compromise and deferring
to his partner were not his strong suits. However, his saving
graces in intimate relationships were his empathy, his ability to be
very charming and romantic (Venus conjunct Neptune in the 3rd), and
his ability to verbalize his feelings (Mercury conjunct Moon in the
3rd). He was also very capable and was a good provider (Saturn
in the 10th and Leo ruling the 2nd).
A time of birth exactly on the hour as he reported
is very suspect because very few of us are born precisely on the hour.
But if he was born at 5:00 am or after, Jupiter was in
his 8th house so he was also a good lover and he had many generous
offers of help from others during his life. Despite this, his
career success was solely the result of his tireless personal energy
and drive (Mars ruling his 10th conjunct his Sun) and his dedication
and hard work (Saturn in the 10th). Since he died of lung cancer
from smoking years ago, where is this in his chart? Pluto in the
1st house near or on the Ascendant is a strong significator of an
addictive or at least compulsive personality but, with Sun in Leo
conjunct Mars in the 1st house, he also was as strong as an ox.
The 12th house represents self-sabotage and self-destructive
behaviors that can affect our health (6th house). Mercury
pertains to the lungs and it rules his 12th house. It is also
conjunct the Moon, ruler of his 1st house of vitality so his
self-destructive behavior (Mercury) of smoking (lungs) eventually
affected his health and vitality (Moon) and was very hard to kick
(Moon is habits). He shall be missed!
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*Echo is a monthly newspaper about community, the
environment, health, cuisine, and spirituality that is distributed in
central Virginia.
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