William Wilberforce

Just saw the movie "Amazing Grace" about the leader of the Slavery Abolitionist movement in England in the late 18th and early 19th centuries and, like, I totally want to jump that actor, Ioan Gruffudd (b.Oct.6, 1973, Cardiff, Wales). He looks like a young, spruced up Al Gore and I tell you I'm all over him like an old suit.

But, back to our Hero, even if he didn't look like Ioan Gruffudd in real life ((((((sigh)))))).

William Wilberforce
b. Aug. 24, 1759 Kingston upon Hull, England

Sun 1 Virgo; noontime Moon in Virgo; North Node in Cancer.

Sun is unaspected except for an inconjunct to Uranus. That's why he looks so good in the movies. Also a great Leo type influence for politics. In the movie, Wilberforce has terrible colitis which accounts for the Virgo Sun, possibly Moon. In wikiworld, he is said to have suffered bad health in general, was tiny and delicate, someone described him as looking like a tiny shrimp until he stood up in front of Parliament. Then he turned into ((((((sigh)))))) Ioan Gruffudd. (I highly recommend this movie for the drewl factor but have to admit there were no African Americans in the theater, just a bunch of clapping white folk who knew all along there had to be a good guy in there somewhere.)

Wilberforce's Mercury was at 29 Virgo squaring Pluto at 23 Sagittarius; opposing Saturn 14 Pisces. It progresses back and forth over the Virgo-Libra cusp in his lifetime and I wonder if this has anything to do with his keen sense of service and justice. He grappled to find the spiritual in politics.

Wilberforce got elected to Parliament at age 21, kind of a wealthy partier dude success story, although Wikiworld says he wasn't as bad a boy as he could have been. (Ioan Gruffudd says he lost his own virginity at Age 22, also a good boy/bad boy type - sigh).

Wilberforce muddled around legislating the Lottery or something until the Abolitionists found him and then he became their spokesman and Leader and spent more than 20 years trying to get Parliament to abolish the slave trade due to the extreme inhumane conditions. On a ship of 600 captives, around 200 would make it off the ship alive the conditions were so inhumane. He gave his first speech to Parliament at his first Saturn Return, May 12, 1789, Saturn in Pisces. Slavery according to Bills is ruled by: Saturn, H12, Pisces. His progressed Sun was on its last degree in Virgo. Transiting Pluto (control, change) was opposite his n.Neptune, sextile his natal Pluto. He had entered a battle that would take more than 20 years.

The Slave Trade Act was finally passed on Mar. 25, 1807 when Wilberforce was going through his Chiron Return. Transiting Pluto was conjunct his natal Saturn in Pisces and squaring the Nodes in Sagittarius. His progressed Sun was conjunct his natal Venus in Libra. How fitting for a person who was turning the scales on Justice. His natal Venus is apex of a t-square to a Jupiter-Mars opposition. Not until a month after his death was the sale of slaves completely abolished in England.

In addition to his gastric health problems which can be attributed to Virgo, Wilberforce developed a strong spiritual side. The movie shows him as sort of a St. Francis of Assisi type who keeps a pet bunny. That's the Virgo for sure. Neptune, planet of compassion, is also a singleton Fire planet in his chart. Creepy thing, though, Elizabeth I of England, another Virgo, was the one who basically let the Slave Trade thing happen in the first place. Apparently she told her pirate guy, John Hawkyns, to "ask for volunteers." Yeah, right.