Where the Hell is Dave Chappelle?

Many Happy Returns to Dave Chappelle who just had his 34th Birthday. I don't know where he is, but I hope he's at peace and being his exceptionally talented, big hearted self.

Dave Chapelle
b. Aug. 24, 1973 Washington, DC

Sun 2 Virgo; Moon Cancer; NN 7 Capricorn

Chappelle started working in Comedy when he was 14 and by Age 19 he was filming his first movie. Right there you have an astrological indicator for Saturn (opposition at Age 14) and the Nodes (Return at Age 19). These two are bound together in Chappelle's chart making their influence extra strong. Ambitious, hardworking Saturn is conjunct his Cancer South Node and rules his North Node. He was born to be a very wise little old man right from the start. He might also have a deep fear of failure. Also, there is a chance that his Cancer Moon is also conjunct his Saturn and South Node which perhaps shows a short childhood, perhaps due to past lives. His drive to work hard is extra strong as the Nodal axis/Saturn/maybe Moon is squared by an intense Venus-Pluto conjunction in Libra. This is a planetary combination that likes to test its endurance skills almost for the Hell of it.

Venus-Pluto is also aspecting most of Chappelle's other planets. It squares his Nodes/Saturn; is in a small rectangle shape trining Jupiter with apex Neptune in Scorpio; and is in a Yod pattern sextiling Neptune, with both planets inconjunct Mars in Taurus. The great Australian astrologer Alice McDermott (I think that's just her Internet name) says that often comedians will have a triangle shape in their charts that includes an inconjunct, a trine and a square. She thinks that the combination of these oddball aspects together will create a humorist. Chappelle's Mars inconjunct Venus-Pluto makes 2 of these triangles; the first to the North Node and the second to Jupiter in Aquarius. North Node in Capricorn is dry wit; Jupiter in Aquarius is just bart farking funny___.

There are many other aspects indicating Chappelle's comedic talent. Instead I'm going to look at what might indicate his crash and burn cycles. He says that his problems began in 1998 when his Father died. He was working 20 hour days and never had a time to grieve. That'll do it. But, astrowise, at that point the Yod in his chart was flaring up from aspects. Saturn was transiting over apex Mars. Saturn rules the person's Father so this transit alone makes sense. On the other parts of the Yod, t.Pluto was conjunct natal Neptune in Scorpio. This is a very spiritual aspect and Chapelle is certainly a person who could take advantage of it at that high level. (The "bad girls" of Hollywood are going through that transit in Sagittarius right now along with Jupiter, party on). On the other leg of the Yod is natal Venus-Pluto. Chappelle's progressed Mercury was passing over this point. The Yod is called the Finger of God. It raises issues that simply don't have a simple answer and forces the person into a confused state where he simply must accept imperfection. Chappelle is a Virgo. Don't tell a Virgo to accept imperfection. Plus, this isn't all. His progressed Venus was opposite natal Mars. This is the spot where the problems posed by the Yod can find resolve. In his art, he was finding great resolve for society as a whole, he was telling us our stories in ways that we could laugh at. Also, Venus rules love and money, Chappelle certainly found both, just maybe too much too soon. A problem maybe also indicated by Mars' influence as well as the Cancer South Node?

Mars was additionally afflicted in 1999 when it went Retrograde by Progression. That's probably excellent for a person's creativity, both Debussy and Beethoven had Mars retrograde by progression during their life times. I think it also brings up some problems for men in their interactions with the world and personal life. It might be an extra stressor for Chappelle through his past. I've read that his Parents' divorced when he was around 2 years old. That's around the time of the first Mars Return so strong transits to this point might bring up some strong unresolved feelings and in this case, impulsiveness due to Mars' influence.

Chappelle's progressed Sun has been going through difficult transits as well. In 1998 it squared his natal Neptune and transiting Pluto. This is great for acting and film, of course. He was able to use this transit to develop skits about real social problems and characters that reach across social boundaries. But he was also going through the confusion and power struggles associated with this combination.

Progressed Sun then changed signs into Libra which would bring a huge 30 year change of attitude in personal expression, in this case in Libra Chappelle was becoming aware that he was doing his work for others. It then hit his natal Pluto and is apparently bringing up resentments that others aren't appreciating or understanding the situation. This is a slow transit that takes years to complete as the Sun must also pass over Venus. Remember he's got that Venus-Pluto squaring Saturn and the Nodes. Great comedians work with anger and control issues, but they must learn to gain perspective on how much they can accomplish at one time if they want to survive. Saturn and Moon have lessons to learn about give and take.

Anyway, supposedly the cracking point in public came for Chappelle while performing in Sacramento, CA in June, 2004. Apparently nobody had explained to him what creatures lurk in the Delta River trailers. The audience was heckling him and the stupidity broke him. He then abruptly left his TV show in its 3d season in 2005. He gave up zillions of dollars.

Today Chappelle lives in Ohio where he spent his summers with his Father. I recently read that he was hospitalized for exhaustion (t.Saturn c. n.Sun). I also read that he set an endurance record performing comedy on stage than 6 hours, so doi re burn out. He's got a major transit coming up this next year as Jupiter and Pluto conjunct opposite his Saturn and near his Nodes. They will be trining t.Saturn so hopefully he will be able to pace himself. That progressed Sun still has to make it over his n.Venus. It's squaring his Saturn but also trining his Mars. Will be interesting as Jupiter and Pluto can bring success when working together.

So many Happy Trines to you, Dave Chappelle. Get some sleep. And stop drinking milk. Virgos tend to be lactose intolerant.