Waiting For Ben Vereen

An eccentric recurring theme continues to run in my life which I don't really understand and so I thought I'd look into the Astrology of it for guidance. The thing is, I tend to meet people who are waiting for Ben Vereen. I really don't even know much about Ben Vereen except that he was wildly successful in the Broadway Musical Jesus Christ Superstar when I was a kid. The second part of the story though is that these people I meet who are waiting for Ben Vereen? They know he may not show, he doesn't show, but they just can't stop anticipating his arrival. I even remember seeing a movie on this theme called Waiting for Guffman. It's almost as if the Guffman movie makers were also waiting for Ben Vereen.

The first time I observed this interesting phenomenon was in High School. The Theater Department boasted a genius who could put on Broadway Musicals. He wrote them, he directed them, he sang in them, he danced, he orchestrated. Somebody somewhere told one of the theater majors that Ben Vereen was going to show up on Opening Night for the final production and since my best friend was in the play we all got really excited. All night we were glancing around in the audience and assuring ourselves of the reality that Ben Vereen couldn't possibly show up for a High School play. It didn't happen. Nobody was really crushed because nobody really thought he would show, but still.... It's the Ben Vereen phenomenon.

Then another time while driving across the country I went into a music store and the owner was really excited about Ben Vereen. I thought, uh oh. But there it was. Ben Vereen might move to town. He can play any instrument. Real Estate prices will go through the roof. Life will be perfect.

So, anyway, why is this? I grew up in California. Why don't I meet people who are waiting for any other celebrity? Some of today's young stars not only show up but put on a show.

I decided finally to look at Ben Vereen's chart for clues that would indicate a person who naturally creates huge amounts of anticipation in others. Someone who makes you wait. (That would be all musicians and theater people by the way or they wouldn't make it). Astrotheme doesn't have an Ascendant for Ben so I don't have a Descendant to understand Ben Vereen's relationship axis. I'm winging it anyway with only the planets. Turns out me and Ben have a double whammy Neptune-Vertex connection between our natals, so, I can take this one out there, way out there. Or at least this is why I am full of wonder over this subject. Vertex ties you in to people. This is it. I know people who wait for Ben Vereen. The Anticipation is almost, I say almost, as good as the performance. I bet when I die, if I get sent to Heaven (just supposing, not anything firm on that one), the first thing God will hand me a Ukelele and tell me to keep him entertained until Ben Vereen shows up.

Ben Vereen
b. 10/10/1946 Miami, FL

Sun 17 Libra; Moon Aries; NN 15 Gemini Rx

Ben Vereen may have been born on a Full Moon. Full Moon people do tend to have odd relationship issues. It's the pull of the opposition aspect. Ben Vereen's Nodal Axis is conjunct my Asc/Desc line. His South Node (mistake behaviors) is sitting right on my 7th House cusp. So I at least have more Synastry with Ben Vereen.

Two things come to mind when I think of a person who makes another person wait. First off, I think, "That person is lost." Then when they show up 3 hours later I think: "That person's head is always in the clouds. Good thing he/she is a talented artist type or I'd blow a fuse." That would be true of Ben Vereen. He has a wide conjunction of Sun to Neptune in Libra. Man is quite a poet but don't hand him the map.

Another reason why a person might make another person wait is that he promises more than he can deliver. He's a people pleaser or his thinking isn't realistic. We can see this once again in the Sun in Libra square Neptune. Libra Sun is always thinking about not making waves and spends his life learning to say no. Ben also has a conjunction/stellium of Jupiter-Mercury-Mars in Scorpio. Mercury rules the mind and here it is thinking great thoughts and planning great things, perhaps more than he can deliver. He's thinking he really will drive 3 hours, fly across country, whatever to show up. The planets in Scorpio might mean....

A third reason why a person might make another person wait is a passive way of dealing with power. Ben Vereen has 4 planets in Scorpio, the planet of subtle power. Mercury-Jupiter-Mars in Scorpio is squaring a natal conjunction of Saturn to Pluto in Leo. He doesn't realize that other people take him seriously. He may even have a complex about it. And the square would cause more problems than usual.

Saturn and Pluto are together in a person's chart when he has to channel a big message. These are the two task masters of the chart. Saturn literally rules Waiting as it rules all things having to do with Time. Mercury (communications) and Mars (drive) are hooked into delivering a powerful social message for his generation through this Saturn-Pluto-Jupiter aspect. I suppose that playing the role of Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar would probably fit that bill.