Biography of Michel Gauquelin

Michel Gauquelin (November 13, 1928 May 20, 1991) was a French psychologist and statistician who, along with his first wife Franoise Schneider-Gauquelin (born June 19, 1929), conducted very important statistical research on astrology, from the beginning of the 1950s to the present day. Although he was highly critical of certain areas of the art, Gauquelin showed an interest in astrology from an early age; it is said that he could calculate a birth chart at the age of ten and earned the nickname of Nostradamus at school because of his astrological readings. After studying psychology and statistics at the Sorbonne, he devoted his life to the attempt to demonstrate the validity of certain fundamentals of astrology. However, he did not define himself as an astrologer and opposed the practice of astrology. Up to his death, he tried first and foremost to show the inanity of astrology, in reaction to his father, who was an enthusiastic defender of the practice. Gauquelin set himself the task of analyzing astrology statistically by studying various correlations using very large samples of birth data. An example from one of his earlier books in 1967 is what he called the "test of opposed destinies" which entailed astrologers being asked to separate the birth charts of twenty well-known criminals from twenty noncriminals. They did no better than chance. (The Cosmic Clocks, 1967) The Gauquelins concentrated on the analysis of a basic tenet of astrological doctrine, which affirmed the existence of a correlation between the positions of the planets, the day of an individuals birth, the psychological character and the effect of this character upon their destiny. This line of research explores astrology not to attempt to empirically prove the astrology handed down by tradition but rather to test an astrology reformulated by science. A first account of the Gauquelins' work was published in 1951 in The Influence of the Stars, in which Gauquelin began a critical analysis of the work of his predecessors in statistical astrology, Choisnard and Karl Ernst Krafft. The conclusions of this first attempt at synthesis seemed to show that for a cross-section of personalities well-known for their success in a given profession, the position of the stars in the sky would be found in a distribution that is not accidental. In his first studies, statistically abnormal positions of the planet Mars were detected in athletes, and similar abnormalities were found with Jupiter for actors, and with Saturn for scientists. In the 1950s, the Gauquelins successively published Methods for Studying the Allocation of the Planets in Diurnal Motion (Mthodes pour tudier la rpartition des astres dans le mouvement diurne) (1957) and Men and Stars (Les Hommes et les Astres) (1960), in which they developed their analyses and conclusions. These statistical observations created a lively polemic, notably with the scientific community. Gauquelin had his calculations and assumptions verified in 1960 by the Belgian Committee PARA, whose conclusions were published 16 years later in the

Bulletin of the Committee NOUVELLES BREVES no. 43, in September 1976, pp. 327343, under the title Critical Considerations on the Research done by M. and Mme. Gauquelin in the area of planetary influences. (Considrations critiques sur une recherche faite par M. M. Gauquelin dans le domaine des influences plantaires.) There was perfect agreement, as is emphasized by the Belgian Committee PARA, between the Gauquelins and the group of scientists concerning the establishment of an experimental protocol, as well as concerning the calculation of standards and statistical formulas for the sampling. The Committee arrived at the same findings for the positions of Mars in sectors I and IV, which seemed abnormally elevated statistically. Nevertheless, the Committee rejected the Gauquelins' interpretation of the results, considering that the calculations of the theoretical distribution of Mars wasnt sufficiently confirmed by the Gauquelins. Gauquelin noted his disagreement with the objections of the Committee. Subsequently, Gauquelin and Science & Life asked the French Committee for the Study of Paranormal Phenomena (Comit Franais pour ltude des Phnomnes Paranormaux) to take charge of a new research initiative. An experimental protocol was elaborated in 1982. A new sample of 1,066 French athletes was created. The initiative--which at the outset anticipated the establishment of a control group sample of 10,000 individuals--was changed, and the comparison was done with a randomly-generated cross-section. Gauquelin, who followed the progress of the study, had suggested additions and deletions of athletes in the sample with the major goal of recentering the study on major champions, and removing athletes having a weak reputation or mediocre results. His proposals, which focused on the test protocols original intentions (it stipulated that the champions selected must have had eminent reputations) were not considered justified and rejected by the CFEPP. In the end, the comparison of the two samples showed no significant statistical differences. If this last verification of the Gauquelins work has convinced a wide sector of the scientific community of the non-existence of the Mars effect, the objections of the CFEPP to Gauquelins suggestions on the constitution of the sample of athletes did not convince his partisans. Today, Gauquelins thesis has had a greater effect across the Atlantic than in France. His work, initiating a new scientific approach to astrology, was taken up by his followers, among which can certainly be counted his first wife, Franoise Schneider-Gauquelin, Andr Barbault, as well as others who emulate him, such as Herv Delboy, Didier Castille, Ken Irving or Suitbert Ertel, Professor at the University of Gttingen, who disassociated himself from the conclusions of the CFEPP and agreed with Gauqulins insistence on taking into account a hierarchy of value in the different athletes in order to obtain significant results. His own conclusions were subject to change throughout the course of his life due to his research over several decades, and in the beginning after his initial studies he was very critical of certain widely accepted beliefs in astrology, particularly the zodiacal signs,

which he extensively tested without finding results: "It is now quite certain that the signs in the sky which presided over our births have no power whatever to decide our fates, to affect our hereditary characteristics, or to play any part, however humble, in the totality of effects, random or otherwise, which form the fabric of our lives and mould our impulses to action." (The Scientific Basis for Astrology, 1970) Although he always remained highly critical of astrology in general, his attitude towards its existence changed as his studies progressed in the study of the diurnal cycle, which is related to the astrological houses. "Subsequent results only confirmed and amplified my initial discovery about the physicians. On the whole, it emerged that there was an increasingly solid statistical link between the time of birth of great men and their occupational success. ... Having collected over 20,000 dates of birth of professional celebrities from various European countries and from the United States, I had to draw the unavoidable conclusion that the position of the planets at birth is linked to one's destiny. What a challenge to the rational mind!" (Neo-Astrology, 1991) The computerized analysis of the natal charts of the famous and less renown in various career fields was done on the computers of Neil Michelsen's Astro Computing Service, in the late '70s, in San Diego, California. Towards the end of his life he tried to reform astrology by suggesting that astrologers should cast aside the majority of their tradition and build a new astrology based only upon the foundation of that which could be proven to be statistically accurate and testable. He called this 'Neo-Astrology', which was also the name of his last book in which he summarized his previous statistical studies and proposed this new system. He is often cited by astrologers as having provided evidence in favour of astrology. The most famous result of Gauquelin's studies was the controversial Mars effect, wherein there is an apparent correlation between the rising and culminating of the planet Mars at the birth of eminent athletes in various fields. If true this would provide scientific evidence for an astrological correlation between the positions of certain heavenly bodies and human affairs. While some claim that the Mars effect is unknown within astrology (i.e. prior to the statistical finding), there is actually a long tradition that goes back to the earliest strata of horoscopic astrology which holds that planets in the angles (i.e. rising, culminating, setting, and anti-culminating) are said to be more active and signify the prominence of the specific archetype which is associated with the planet in question. Away from astrology, Michel Gauquelin was an accomplished cyclist and was ranked among the top 50 tennis players in France, reaching the semifinals of the French over-50s championship. Following his divorce from Franoise, he married Marie Cadilhac in 1986. His death was the result of suicide.
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Astrological portrait of Michel Gauquelin (excerpt)

Introduction

Here are some character traits from Michel Gauquelin's birth chart. This description is far from being comprehensive but it can shed light on his/her personality, which is still interesting for professional astrologers or astrology lovers. In a matter of minutes, you can get at your email address your astrological portrait (approximately 32 pages), a much more comprehensive report than this portrait of of Michel Gauquelin.

The dominant planets of Michel Gauquelin

When interpreting a natal chart, the best method is to start gradually from general features to specific ones. Thus, there is usually a plan to be followed, from the overall analysis of the chart and its structure, to the description of its different character traits. In the first part, an overall analysis of the chart enables us to figure out the personality's main features and to emphasize several points that are confirmed or not in the detailed analysis: in any case, those general traits are taken into account. Human personality is an infinitely intricate entity and describing it is a complex task. Claiming to rapidly summarize it is illusory, although it does not mean that it is an impossible challenge. It is essential to read a natal chart several times in order to absorb all its different meanings and to grasp all this complexity. But the exercise is worthwhile. In brief, a natal chart is composed of ten planets: two luminaries, the Sun and the Moon, three fast-moving or individual planets, Mercury, Venus and Mars, two slow-moving planets, Jupiter and Saturn, and three very slow-moving planets, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Additional secondary elements are: the Lunar Nodes, the Dark Moon or Lilith, Chiron and other asteroids such as Vesta, Pallas, Ceres or Juno. There are also special features such as the Arabic Parts, the Vertex, the Black Sun, hypothetical planets, etc. They are all posited on the Zodiac wheel consisting of twelve signs, from Aries to Pisces, and divided into twelve astrological houses. The first step is to evaluate the importance of each planet. This is what we call identifying the dominant planets. This process obeys rules that depend on the astrologer's

sensitivity and experience but it also has precise and steady bases: thus, we can take into account the parameters of a planet's activity (the number of active aspects a planet forms, the importance of each aspect according to its nature and its exactness), angularity parameters; (proximity to the four angles, Ascendant, Midheaven, Descendant and Imum Coeli or Nadir, all of them being evaluated numerically, according to the kind of angle and the planet-angle distance) and quality parameters (rulership, exaltation, exile and fall). Finally, other criteria such as the rulership of the Ascendant and the Midheaven etc. are important. These different criteria allow a planet to be highlighted and lead to useful conclusions when interpreting the chart. The overall chart analysis begins with the observation of three sorts of planetary distributions in the chart: Eastern or Western hemisphere, Northern or Southern hemisphere, and quadrants (North-eastern, North-western, South-eastern and Southwestern). These three distributions give a general tone in terms of introversion and extraversion, willpower, sociability, and behavioural predispositions. Then, there are three additional distributions: elements (called triplicity since there are 3 groups of signs for each one) - Fire, Air, Earth and Water - corresponding to a character typology, modality (or quadruplicity with 4 groups of signs for each one) - Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable - and polarity (Yin and Yang). There are three types of dominants: dominant planets, dominant signs and dominant houses. The novice thinks astrology means only "to be Aries" or sometimes, for example, "to be Aries Ascendant Virgo". It is actually far more complex. Although the Sun and the Ascendant alone may reveal a large part of the character - approximately a third or a half of your psychological signature, a person is neither "just the Sun" (called the sign) nor just "the first house" (the Ascendant). Thus, a particular planet's influence may be significantly increased; a particular sign or house may contain a group of planets that will bring nuances and sometimes weaken the role of the Ascendant, of the Sun sign etc. Lastly, there are two other criteria: accentuations (angular, succedent and cadent) which are a classification of astrological houses and types of decanates that are occupied (each sign is divided into three decanates of 10 each). They provide additional information in this first general part. These eleven (or six, if the birth time is unknown) general character traits must not be taken literally; they are, somehow, preparing for the chart reading. They allow to understand the second part of the analysis, which is more detailed and precise. It focuses on every area of the personality and provides a synthesis of all the above-mentioned parameters according to sound hierarchical rules.

Hemispheres and Quadrants for Michel Gauquelin

The axis linking the 1st house's cuspide (the Ascendant) to the 7th house's cuspide (the Descendant) divides the zodiac into two bowls, a superior bowl, in the South, and an inferior bowl in the North. Quoting an expression by the famous American astrologer Rudhyar, the Southern part and the Northern part correspond to two functions: "being" and "doing". Other concepts are also associated with this North and South distribution, such as introversion (Northern hemisphere) and extraversion (Southern hemisphere), being or appearances, inner life or external life, reflection or action, dreaming one's life or living one's dreams, the abstract or the concrete, backstage or limelight. This is not about determination but about personal inclination: thus, some people will be thrown into public life despite a prominent Northern hemisphere. If this happens, however, it will not be due to their will, their taste or their deep nature. Conversely, a prominent Southern hemisphere will not bring about a famous destiny to its owner, even if he tends to turn the spotlight on himself, or if he looks for a more active life. It is a matter of deep nature and natural inclination. Of course, none of the typologies is "superior" to another. N.B.: as far as these dominants are concerned, if the discrepancy between quadrants, or between quadrants and North/South or East/West hemispheres, is less than 30%, it is not essential that you read these texts in the beginning. You can get back to them later on, once you have read more important interpretations. In your birth chart, Michel Gauquelin, the ten main planets are distributed as follows:

Michel Gauquelin, the predominance of planets in the Northern hemisphere prompts you to reflect and imagine rather than to exteriorize your actions and to be at the forefront of the stage. So, should you wish to remedy this situation, it is up to you to force your nature to take action in broad daylight, to communicate, and to assert yourself... then, you can move forward in this concrete life and enjoy your newly won situation.

The birth chart is divided into two other parts, Eastern and Western, by the axis linking the Midheaven to the Imum Coeli. The Eastern part, on the Ascendant side, shows the person's ego, will, magnetism, and vitality, whereas the Western part, on the Descendant side, symbolizes other people, communication, relationships and their influence, as well as flexibility and adaptability.

The predominance of planets in the Western hemisphere of your chart means that you are quite flexible, capable of empathy, convivial and communicative. An excellent factor for many professional activities or for your social or sentimental life for example. A definite asset... provided that you are not at the centre of the decisions you must take in your life: you may be tempted to listen to the last person who spoke, and your flexibility won't always get you out of the tight spot. You are therefore advised to learn to decide alone and to cope with the consequences of your actions with courage and without regrets. This attitude will allow you to combine flexibility and action, adaptability and absence of hesitation. The Ascendant-Descendant and Midheaven-Imum Coeli axes divide the Zodiac wheel into four quadrants.

Michel Gauquelin, the nocturnal North-western quadrant, consisting of the 4th, 5th and 6th houses, prevails in your chart: this sector favours creativity, conception and some sort of specialization or training, with helpfulness and relations as strong components. You need others' cooperation in order to work properly, although you are not very expansive: creating, innovating and thinking are what matter most to you because this selfexpression enriches you and totally satisfies you.

Elements, Modalities and Polarities for Michel Gauquelin

Michel Gauquelin, here is the graph of your Elements, Modalities and Polarities, House and Decanates' Accentuations, based on planets' position and angles in the twelve signs:

Michel Gauquelin, Fire is dominant in your natal chart and endows you with intuition, energy, courage, self-confidence, and enthusiasm! You are inclined to be passionate, you assert your willpower, you move forward, and come hell or high water, you achieve your dreams and your goals. The relative weakness of this element is the difficulty to step back or a kind of boldness that may prompt you to do foolish things. The predominance of Water signs indicates high sensitivity and elevation through feelings, Michel Gauquelin. Your heart and your emotions are your driving forces, and you can't do anything on Earth if you don't feel a strong affective charge (as a matter of fact, the word "feeling" is essential in your psychology). You need to love in order to understand, and to feel in order to take action. Since it may be detrimental to your vulnerability, you should learn to fight against it. Air is under-represented in your natal chart, with only 0.00% instead of the average 25%. Air symbolizes the values of communication, exchanges with others, but also adaptability and flexibility abilities: if you don't get out of your cocoon to talk, to show interest in others, and to socialize, you may have problems understanding others. Because of your lack of flexibility or of your refusal to adapt yourself, you may be suddenly overwhelmed by events. You should get into the habit of talking, of phoning, and of thinking in terms of "mobility, flexibility, adaptability, change" in every circumstance. It will spare you so many troubles! The twelve zodiacal signs are split up into three groups or modes, called quadruplicities, a learned word meaning only that these three groups include four signs. The Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable modes are more or less represented in your natal chart, depending on planets' positions and importance, and on angles in the twelve signs.

The Fixed mode corresponds to a majority of elements in your chart, Michel Gauquelin, and represents the desire for security and durability: you are able to concretely appreciate a situation and its stability. You definitely prefer to play the role of a loyal, obstinate and hard-working person, rather than to try new and risky experiences - beware, however, not to confuse obstinacy with intransigence. You structure, cement, and strengthen everything you find on your way: it is your nature, although you are not especially interested in swiftness: slow and steady... The twelve signs are divided into two polarities, called active or passive, or sometimes masculine and feminine, positive and negative, Yang and Yin. This classification corresponds to two quite distinct tonalities, the first one bringing extraversion, action, self-confidence and dynamism, the second one, introversion, reactivity, reflection and caution. None is superior to the other, each group has its own assets and shortcomings. Odd signs - Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius and Aquarius - belong to the first group, whereas even signs - Taurus, Cancer, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn and Pisces belong to the second group. N.B.: this dominant is a minor one. It is not essential that you read its meaning in the beginning. You can get back to them later on, once you have read more important interpretations.

According to the disposition and qualities of your planets and angles, you are rather influenced by Yin energy, the passive polarity, Michel Gauquelin: you are quite introverted, imaginative and sometimes discreet, but you are a deep and wise person who is not content with just noisy and flashy things. At times, you doubt but you think that those who don't are a bit... thoughtless. Allow yourself to take more laid-back attitudes and put your reserve aside, because good equilibrium is always healthier. Houses are split up into three groups: angular, succedent and cadent. The first ones are the most important ones, the most "noticeable" and energetic houses. They are the 1st, 4th, 7th and 10th houses. Their cuspides correspond to four famous angles: Ascendant for the 1st house, Imum Coeli for the 4th house, Descendant, opposite the Ascendant, for the 7th house and Midheaven for the 10th house, opposite the Imum Coeli. Planets are evaluated according to a whole set of criteria that includes comprehensive Western astrology rules. At their turn, planets emphasize specific types of houses, signs, repartitions etc., as previously explained. N.B.: this dominant is a minor one. It is not essential that you read its meaning in the beginning. You can get back to them later on, once you have read more important interpretations.

Your angular houses, namely, the 1st, 4th, 7th and 10th houses, are very emphasized in your chart, Michel Gauquelin: according to the Tradition, they are the strongest and most dynamic houses. Should the rest of your chart concur, angular houses suggest that you are an enterprising, energetic and assertive man. Indeed, angular houses are said to generate impulsions and to give a powerful and domineering personality. Unusual fates are often linked to a predominance of angular houses, but this is only a partial indication... Each sign contains 30 degrees and can be divided into three equal parts: the decanates. The Tradition indicates that specific meanings can be associated to each of the three decanates. Their sphere of activity is usually limited to the Sun sign, however, it is even more interesting to observe the distribution of all the planets in the chart to get an idea of the respective importance of the three decanates, which can complement the description of the personality. These meanings must be considered with the greatest caution. Indeed, they are minor characteristics that can only underline other outstanding traits of character. Traditionally, the first decanate highlights the characteristics of the sign where a planet is located. The two other decanates correspond to sub-dominant planets, depending on the nature of each sign. This system leads to a multiplication of meanings and it is impossible to have a clear understanding: here, we prefer to give only the meaning of one decanate in comparison with the other two, within the birth chart as a whole. Again, the greatest caution is needed with regard to this minor indication as it is not always reliable: it is not essential that you read these texts in the beginning. You can get back to them later on, once you have read more important interpretations

The first decanate, which means the part between 0 and 10 of any zodiacal sign, prevails in your natal chart, Michel Gauquelin: this decanate is traditionally linked to vitality and physical constitution, and may indicate that you efficiently express your concrete energy on the material and sensual planes.

Dominants: Planets, Signs and Houses for Michel Gauquelin

The issue of dominant planets has existed since the mists of time in astrology: how nice it would be if a person could be described with a few words and one or several planets that would represent their character, without having to analyse such elements as rulerships, angularities, houses, etc! The ten planets - the Sun throughout Pluto - are a bit like ten characters in a role-play, each one has its own personality, its own way of acting, its own strengths and weaknesses. They actually represent a classification into ten distinct personalities, and astrologers have always tried to associate one or several dominant planets to a natal chart as well as dominant signs and houses. Indeed, it is quite the same situation with signs and houses. If planets symbolize characters, signs represent hues - the mental, emotional and physical structures of an individual. The sign in which a planet is posited is like a character whose features are modified according to the place where he lives. In a chart, there are usually one, two or three highlighted signs that allow to rapidly describe its owner. Regarding astrological houses, the principle is even simpler: the twelve houses correspond to twelve fields of life, and planets tenanting any given house increase that

house's importance and highlight all relevant life departments: it may be marriage, work, friendship etc. In your natal chart, Michel Gauquelin, the ten main planets are distributed as follows:

The three most important planets in your chart are Jupiter, Mercury and Sun. Jupiter, the planet of expansion, organization, power and benevolence, is quite emphasized in your chart. Like any Jupiterian, you are warm, open, sociable, consensual, active and optimistic. You can use your self-confidence to erase differences of opinion, and you leave the task of analyzing and perfecting things to specialists. Your role, and you know it since you were young, is to gather, to demonstrate your synthesizing and conciliatory mind, and to naturally reap its fruits - power. You appreciate legality, social order but also order in general. With you as a leader, every plan or human entity can be organized and structured. You excel at supervising. The Jupiterian type is indeed the politician par excellence, and a positive Jupiter in your chart is synonymous with good integration into society, whatever the chosen path. Is this idyllic picture really perfect? Certainly not: each planet's typology has its own weaknesses. One of yours is pride, like the Solarian, but your will of expansion at all costs may generate a form of exaggeration in everything, endless pleasure, inappropriate self-confidence that could lead you to rough materialism and the thirst for absurd material comfort - in the worst cases, of course. With Mercury among your dominant planets, you are certainly cerebral, nervous, swift, curious, quick-witted, and you love to communicate. Your psychological pattern is intellectual, all the more so since Mercury is important, with its whole set of assets but also of weaknesses, obviously.

Your sensitivity, emotions, and heart's impulses give precedence to thinking, which can lead people to believe that you are a playful and witty but heartless person, intellectualizing situations and juggling with words and numbers whilst ignoring human aspects of things. Of course, it is said that cats always land on their feet - this is your Mercurian strength and your trump card! Your weakness lies in your nervousness, and you may miss your goal because of your "over-intellectualization" that may be detrimental to other kind of energies such as instinct, spontaneity, heart, sensitivity, etc. One of the dominant planets in your natal chart is the Sun. He symbolizes will, magnetism, sense of honour and dignity. You are a Solar being, and you often display charismatic and leadership qualities. Your warmth and your persuasive power lead you far away from pettiness. You enjoy thinking big and, consequently, you move forward according to what you decide. Your Solarian weakness may be related to the sin of pride or to excessive authority. The frontier between pride and vanity is tenuous: be careful not to overstep it and to keep the nobleness of heart that is part of your charm.

In your natal chart, the three most important signs - according to criteria mentioned above - are in decreasing order of strength Scorpio, Sagittarius and Taurus. In general, these signs are important because your Ascendant or your Sun is located there. But this is not always the case: there may be a cluster of planets, or a planet may be near an angle other than the Midheaven or Ascendant. It may also be because two or three planets are considered to be very active because they form numerous aspects from these signs. Thus, you display some of the three signs' characteristics, a bit like a superposition of features on the rest of your chart, and it is all the more so if the sign is emphasized.

With Scorpio as a dominant sign, you are a strong and astute person, complicated and passionate, sometimes destructive and intolerant, but strong-willed, tough and daring, sometimes bordering on aggressive. So many qualities and dangers combined in one person! Obviously, this often results in a natural selection of people around you: those who stand up to you or admire you and those who can't bear you anymore! But that is precisely what you want. You are what you are and you are not going to transform yourself just to please. You are too proud and you never dread confrontations, although your way of fighting is secret, like your nature that, mysteriously enough, you are so reluctant to reveal even to your close friends who will never understand you. That said... what a hellish charm you have! Sagittarius, an adventurous and conquering fire sign, is dominant in your chart: you are enthusiastic, enterprising, optimistic, very sociable, and mobile - you have itchy feet, both physically and mentally. Nobody gets bored with you because you are always planning things and suggesting excursions, at least... when you are around and not already gone on a trip! Obviously, so many movements for one man may scare people off, and some of them may even criticize your brutality or your tendency to loose your temper, but you are so warm and genuine, so expansive, isn't this a good thing? And all the more so, since your sense of humour is overwhelming... With the Taurus sign so important in your chart, you are constructive, stable, and sensual. Good taste, sense of beauty, manners, and unfailing good sense - all these qualities contribute to your charm and seductive power. Furthermore, if some people criticize your slow pace and your stubbornness, you rightly reply that this is the price for your security, and that you like the way it is - slow and steady....

The 4th, 5th and 10th houses are the most prominent ones in your birth chart. From the analysis of the most tenanted houses, the astrologer identifies your most significant fields or spheres of activity. They deal with what you are experiencing - or what you will be brought to experience one day - or they deal with your inner motivations.

With an important 4th house in your chart, your private life, your intimacy, as well as your family and home, play a fundamental role. Your security and your family unit, the one you come from, but also the one you set up when you get married and start a family or even as a bachelor living alone in your sweet home - are necessary for you to blossom. According to the Tradition, your father may play an important role in your life. The 5th house is one of your dominant houses: hobbies, love life, sports, and games, including speculation and all kinds of entertainment, are fields that you actually take seriously! On a more subtle level, artistic creation as well as other forms of creation including begetting children - could be one of your assets. You gain from taking part in leisure associations and various activity clubs in which a catchword resounds more than for most people: pleasure. With a prominent 10th house, your destiny's achievement may be very notable: the 10th house represents your career, your public life, and your ambitions. A good deal of your energy may thus be used to successfully implement what you have in mind. Instinctively, you are very keen to make your dreams come true. Sooner or later, you will deal with the public, and your personal achievement will go through trials and ordeals: other people and visible actions. After this paragraph about dominant planets, of Michel Gauquelin, here are the character traits that you must read more carefully than the previous texts since they are very specific: the texts about dominant planets only give background information about the personality and remain quite general: they emphasize or, on the contrary, mitigate different particularities or facets of a personality. A human being is a complex whole and only bodies of texts can attempt to successfully figure out all the finer points.

Your sensitivity
Your nature is optimistic and emotional, Michel Gauquelin, and you are caught up in two incompatible longings: you are fond of exoticism and independence of movement, but at the same time, you feel comfortable in a form of middle-class attitude and conformism; in general, it translates into a succession of moods, now quiet and well adapted to the situations you experience, now marked by an irresistible desire for change and revival. You have a good and nave nature, with a lot of self-confidence. Your emotionalism prompts you to live intensely a variety of numerous emotional experiences, a bit scattered, but with all the stimulations you need to be a balanced person. Your pleasant and welcoming attitude wins you some degree of popularity, all the more so because, despite your thirst for adventures that may scare away some people, you adjust to your environment's customs so easily. Entertainments, hobbies and parties, love affairs, holidays, here are the areas where you express best your emotions, Michel Gauquelin. You like children's company, your popularity is often good and you use it in order to increase the number of your encounters in order to see your seductive power. You are often endowed with artistic creativity. Art

is a good outlet for all these gushing and fluctuating emotions that must be released at the slightest external stimulation.

Your intellect and your social life

You are the very type of the researcher endowed with great intellectual and imaginative capacities, Michel Gauquelin, and your curiosity is very deep. Researches, riddles and mysteries appeal to you and with a remarkable sixth sense and intuition, you endlessly try to unearth the truth, in all areas, like a psychoanalyst or a detective. You are a very secretive and introverted person, you find it difficult to open up and you rather prefer psychoanalysis. In spite of your clear-sightedness, you find it hard to deal with people: your critical mind, tinted with irony and causticity, may be destructive, especially since your determination and your stubbornness do not incline you to giving up. You are fond of provocations and you handle contradictions skilfully even though you may come across as dishonest. It is usually in the private sphere that you can communicate and think for your best interests, Michel Gauquelin. Your family is very important to you, and your intellectual interests incline you towards real estate matters, asset management, family business, etc. You may also work at home, and in any case, you are generally more outgoing when you are in a safe and private environment. When you are outside, you come across as unobtrusive, either because you don't pay much attention to events that are not directly related to you, or because you are just shy and on the defensive when it comes to worldly things or public domain.

Your affectivity and your seductiveness

In your chart, the Sun is in Scorpio and Venus, in Sagittarius. This configuration marks an affectivity made of fire and flames and a passionate temperament. The enthusiasm of Venus in Sagittarius, ready to be filled with wonder, responds to the extremism of the Sun in Scorpio, for whom emotions are intense and enlarged. This duet finds its perfect balance only through an enriching relationship that includes a great deal of unforeseen elements and thrilling sensations. You do not accept that you couple gets bogged down in unchanging habits. You can sacrifice a comfortable and reassuring amorous routine when it is necessary to give a new momentum to your life. It is impossible to get bored in your company because moments of excitement are so frequent and your desire to discover, so vivid. You often show a wonderful enthusiasm without abandoning your peculiarities: in all circumstances, you keep your own style. Your partner must understand and support your infatuations. For you, a lasting relationship is necessarily warm, passionate, full of unforeseen events and potentialities. On the affective plane, Michel Gauquelin, you are open, straightforward, spontaneous and you make friends easily because your enthusiasm is expressed jovially, directly and is respectful of well-established moral values. In some cases, you may be opposed to your natal environment or to your family because of your taste for freedom, exoticism or all

forms of independence and emancipation. Your feelings are burning and you often get carried away quickly. However, your ability to make friends easily is likely to favour some instability; in order words, faithfulness is not your top priority as long as you have not yet found your soul mate. Ideally, for you, life together must have some degree of mobility and include travels and fresh air. Within your relationship, you need to feel freedom and independence, which you need since your childhood. Under such conditions, harmony and faithfulness can be achieved. Michel Gauquelin, your Venus has a natural affinity with this house. She feels very comfortable and she gives her best in terms of intensity of feelings, artistic creativity, inclination for leisure, entertainment, fine arts and music gifts and even, the capacity to easily communicate with children. With Venus in this house, more than in any other position, the affectivity is increased and endows you with an active and enterprising attitude, in this area of life. Creativity is associated with the 5th house and Venus here allows you to blend pleasure and motivation, not only in the field of artistic creation and entertainment, but also in love, where you are prompted to fearlessly create or to actively develop romantic relationships with the elected person. Besides, you are particularly at your best here, more ready to extend extreme kindness, warmth or seduction than in any other of your daily activities. However, the danger with this position is to fall prey of your own great ability to please, to seduce or to enjoy yourself, be it through romantic dissipation or through sheer pleasure to shine.

Your behaviour
Psychologically speaking, your nature is powerful and self-assured. You are a leader whose strength and nobleness naturally arouse your entourages respect and adherence and your legitimacy is unquestioned. Your sense of commandment, the honour your person constantly exudes, your prestige and your charisma is a whole which puts you into the spotlight wherever you go. As you are born under this sign, you are proud, determined, wilful, loyal, solemn, generous, ambitious, courageous, heroic, full of vitality, creative, confident, seductive, happy, daring, proud, majestic, honest, magnanimous, charismatic, responsible, noble, brilliant, radiant, dramatic, affectionate, full of humour, demonstrative, swaggering and self-confident.You can also be domineering, conceited, touchy, authoritarian, stubborn, intolerant, self-centered, irascible, violent, and nonchalant. In love, Sir, you are very demanding. You are a powerful and loyal lover. Your partner must be the most beautiful and the most brilliant person and she must make you feel that she admires you. In such a case, your generosity has no limit and you give your love without reservation, with nobleness, liberalities and luxury. You set up a stable and brilliant home where children have the essential part.The main danger is that you value trust to the extent that you grant it generously but too hastily: if you happen to find out that your trust is misplaced, the whole world around you crumbles and the relationship is forever damaged. In this regard, you are cut-and-dried and you feel so hurt and humiliated that you seldom can forgive.Another similar danger comes from the fact that

your expectations are very high and it is very unlikely that real life offers such unconditional and lasting love: for this reason, it is not unusual that you never marry, all the more so because your self-centered character is not prone to self-questioning

Your will and your inner motivations

Psychologically speaking, your nature is bilious, with aggressive impulses that lead you towards the transformation of your entire being and, continuously, of the situation surrounding you. You seem to be constantly struggling for your self-assertion. You cannot refrain from testing others with cutting remarks, not because you want to hurt them, but because you want to know them better through their reaction; for you, life and the feeling of aliveness are experienced through rebellion and tension. You may be manipulative and your aggressive attitude may equate with sly inquisition. You often remain silent, introverted and secretive, mulling over turbulent thoughts in the depths of your mind, leaving others puzzled by your somewhat peculiar behaviour. As you are born under this sign, you are secretive, powerful, domineering, enduring, intuitive, assertive, charismatic, magnetic, wilful, daring, clear-sighted, passionate, creative, independent, vigorous, generous, loyal, hard-working, persevering, indomitable, possessive, shrewd, stubborn, ambitious, instinctive, tenacious, sexual, sexy, proud, intense and competitive. But you may also be aggressive, destructive, stubborn, anxious, tyrannical, perverse, sadistic, violent, self-centered, complex, critical, cruel, nasty, jealous, calculating, vulnerable and dissembling. In love, Sir, you are very magnetic, with a discreet and indefinable charm that inevitably attracts the persons you set your heart on. You detect their weaknesses so well that you can, at will, exert your powers and your manipulation tendencies over them. There are no negative consequences, as long as things go well, because you are very sensual, charming, possessive and swaggering and you make happy all the people who look for this domineering aspect in their partner. However, when things start to deteriorate, your almost pathological jealousy and your capacity to harm when you feel threatened are the causes of your partners' tears. For you, passion means tension and tragedy. It is the price to be paid for sharing your sexuality loaded with unlimited fantasies, male ardour, loyalty and generosity. You are excessive, but very endearing, and your partner finds it very hard to leave you. It is preferable when things are fine between you. Unless salient factors indicate otherwise, Michel Gauquelin, your nature is not very extroverted and your tendency is to keep to yourself emotions that may run very deep. Your will prompts you to create some sort of security, or cocoon, around you. You are deeply attached to your family and to your initial home. You need this cosy and warm atmosphere, your parents' love and your family security, and later you reproduce them in your adult's home. Such strong bonds with your family and your home benefit your self-assertion as they combine professional efforts with presence at home. Working

at home is particularly suitable, as are, indirectly, professions related to genealogy or even more, to real estate, because you are comfortable with the security aspects of the places you visit. Your father often plays a major role, possibly an excessive one, with the danger that he may smother your desire for freedom and autonomy and contribute to aggravate your already strong natural introversion. You are what is called belated and it is mainly during the second part of your life that you can concretely and efficiently exercise your will. Your assets lie in your determination to build a stable and comfortable home. However, family conflicts may exist and you may quarrel with your father over authority matters or over your projects; later, you may even undergo this sort of troubles in your own home if you are not flexible enough.

Your ability to take action

It is difficult to find a more sensitive person than you, Michel Gauquelin. You are able to contain your aggressiveness and it may be hard for you to exteriorize your feelings. You are usually passive and you draw your strength from inertia and resistance more than from the will to take action. Your mood is changing, you show little of yourself and you may surprise with your inopportune reactions that come late, when people have forgotten what it was all about. The only area where you express yourself with zeal and where your actions are successful is the area of home or, more symbolically, in the fields where you can achieve security. In other words, you need to feel comfortable before you can move, in concrete matters as well as in sexuality. It is in the area of friendship and collective life (common projects, associations, etc.) that you express your impulsivity, you warmth, and your capacity for action, Michel Gauquelin. You are cut-and-dried and your motto is "either succeed or die". In case of success, it is your responsibility to make the relationship last because you are not the submissive type and you hardly compromise. You put a lot of passion in your friendly relationships. You are not interested in lukewarm or insipid acquaintances. Things must be moving, even though it may mean that the relationship is cut short. In any case, you enjoy participating actively within a community and, whenever possible, you take the leadership role, in your own way. As soon as you are more or less under the public eye, you become enterprising. When you are on your own, you do not feel the need to use your energy.

Conclusion
This text is only an excerpt from of Michel Gauquelin's portrait. We hope that it will arouse your curiosity, and that it will prompt you to deepen your knowledge of astrology, as well as to visit and use the wide range of free applications at www.astrotheme.com. Astrological studies describe many of the character traits and they sometimes go deeper into the understanding of a personality. Please, always keep in mind that human beings are continuously evolving and that many parts of our psychological structures are likely to be expressed later, after having undergone significant life's experiences. It is advised to

read a portrait with hindsight in order to appreciate its astrological content. Under this condition, you will be able to take full advantage of this type of study. The analysis of an astrological portrait consists in understanding four types of elements which interact with one another: ten planets, twelve zodiacal signs, twelve houses, and what are called aspects between planets (the 11 aspects most commonly used are: conjunction, opposition, square, trine, sextile, quincunx, semi-sextile, sesqui-quadrate, quintile and bi-quintile. The first 5 aspects enumerated are called major aspects). Planets represent typologies of our human psychology: sensitivity, affectivity, ability to undertake, will-power, mental process, aptitude, and taste for communication etc., all independent character facets are divided here for practical reasons. The twelve signs forming the space where planets move will "colour", so to speak, these typologies with each planet being located in its particular sign. They will then enrich the quality of these typologies, as expressed by the planets. The Zodiac is also divided into twelve astrological houses. This makes sense only if the birth time is known because within a few minutes, the twelve houses (including the 1st one, the Ascendant) change significantly. They correspond to twelve specific spheres of life: external behaviour, material, social and family life, relationship, home, love life, daily work, partnership, etc. Each planet located in any given house will then act according to the meaning of its house, and a second colouration again enriches those active forces that the planets symbolize. Finally, relations will settle among planets, creating a third structure, which completes the planets' basic meanings. A set of ancient rules, which has stood the test of experience over hundreds of years (although astrology is in evolution, only reliable elements are integrated into classical studies), are applied to organize the whole chart into a hierarchy and to allow your personality to be interpreted by texts. The planets usually analysed are the Sun, the Moon, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, which means two luminaries (the Sun and the Moon) and 8 planets, a total of 10 planets. Additional secondary elements may be taken into account, such as asteroids Chiron, Vesta, Pallas, Ceres (especially Chiron, more well-known), the Lunar nodes, the Dark Moon or Lilith, and even other bodies: astrology is a discipline on the move. Astrological studies, including astrological portrait, compatibility of couples, predictive work, and horoscopes evolve and become more accurate or deeper, as time goes by. Precision: concerning the horoscopes with a known time of birth, according to the Tradition, we consider that a planet near the beginning (called cuspide) of the next house (less than 4 degrees for the Ascendant and the Midheaven, and less than 3 degrees for all other houses) belongs to this house: our texts and dominants take this rule into account. You can also choose not to take this shift into account in the form, and also tick the option Koch or Equal houses system instead of Placidus, the default houses system. Warning: In order to avoid any confusion and any possible controversy, we want to draw your attention upon the fact that this sample of celebrities is very complete and therefore, it also includes undesirable people, since every category is represented: beside artists, musicians, politicians, lawyers, professional soldiers, poets, writers, singers, explorers, scientists, academics, religious figures, saints, philosophers, sages, astrologers, mediums,

sportsmen, chess champions, famous victims, historical characters, members of royal families, models, painters, sculptors, and comics authors or other actual celebrities, there are also famous murderers, tyrants and dictators, serial-killers, or other characters whose image is very negative, often rightly so. Regarding the latter, it must be remembered that even a monster or at least a person who perpetrated odious crimes, has some human qualities, often noticed by his/her close entourage: these excerpts come from computer programmes devoid of polemical intentions and may seem too soft or lenient. The positive side of each personality is deliberately stressed. Negative sides have been erased here - it is not the same in our comprehensive reports on sale - because it could hurt the families of such people. We are hoping that it will not rebound on the victims' side.

Numerology: Birth Path of Michel Gauquelin

Testimonies to numerology are found in the most ancient civilizations and show that numerology pre-dates astrology. This discipline considers the name, the surname, and the date of birth, and ascribes a meaning to alphabetic letters according to the numbers which symbolise them. The path of life, based on the date of birth, provides indications on the kind of destiny which one is meant to experience. It is one of the elements that must reckoned with, along with the expression number, the active number, the intimacy number, the achievement number, the hereditary number, the dominant numbers or the lacking numbers, or also the area of expression, etc.

Your Birth Path: Your Life Path is influenced by the number 8, Michel, which indicates that your destiny hinges on financial successes, material undertakings, and power seizing. It is a path full of successes and failures, fortune and reversals of fortune. You must strive to control your thirst for material goods, and try to practice tolerance. Great achievements are possible if you choose a career in any sort of trade or business. This is how your qualities are likely to be best expressed: management abilities and above-average commercial sense. Traditionally, the number 8 is believed to favour material and financial matters such as asset management, investments, commercial negotiations, as well as social power. All these elements are most likely to be found at the centre of your life. Your thirst for power, added to some degree of bad luck, constitutes one of the major hurdles blocking your way. However, your determination, added to a deep spirit of conciliation, turns the number 8 into a very fulfilling one, that of extraordinary successes.

Michel Gauquelin was born under the sign of the Dragon, element Earth
Chinese astrology is brought to us as a legacy of age-old wisdom and invites us to develop an awareness of our inner potential. It is believed that the wise man is not subjected to stellar influences. However, we must gain the lucidity and the distance without which we remain locked up in an implacable destiny. According to the legend of the Circle of Animals, Buddha summoned all the animals to bid them farewell before he left our world. Only twelve species answered Buddha's call. They form the Chinese Zodiac and symbolize the twelve paths of wisdom that are still valid nowadays. The Asian wise man considers that a path is neither good nor bad. One can and must develop one's potentialities. The first step is to thoroughly know oneself. At first sight, your personality is outstanding: in situations where other people would prefer the security and the tranquillity of a life devoid of risk, you choose challenges, even though there is some degree of uncertainty and latent conflicts. You do not pay much attention to your life's limitations, therefore, you may be unrealistic and you do not hesitate to fully express your intentions and ambitions. Of course, the danger is that you think big, too big. You may attempt to conquer a chimera and show an excessive idealism. Nevertheless, your energy is attractive and your infectious enthusiasm can overcome many a hurdle. As we all know, faith can move mountains! It seems difficult to stand up to you because you determination is very strong and your will, inflexible. There is a propensity to think little of other people's opinion but it is important that you control this natural tendency... On the interpersonal plane, you often seek attention and you want to play a central role. You willingly give pieces of advice and instructions but you may forget to show diplomacy. Your prevailing strength of character can take you a long way. You brush aside obstacles, one after the other and better than anyone else, you reach your aims and you achieve exceptional success. Actually, wrongly or rightly, you can imagine your destiny only with brilliant and spectacular colours, in a word... grandiose! Chinese astrology has five elements, which are referred to as agents: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. You have a deep affinity with the agent Earth. In China, this element corresponds to the planet Saturn, the yellow colour and the number 5. You are realistic, often cautious, and you plan your life carefully, leaving nothing to chance and handling situations pragmatically. The objectivity you display can but prevent

you from being caught into traps and illusions. Therefore, you are a very reassuring person to your entourage: they readily rely on your sense of reality. Far be it from you to take an interest in fancy projects or chimeras that appeal to a good many people! It is important that you retain only sound viewpoints and orientations, as well as elements that have proved their worth. Of course, you still have to show a bit of fantasy: some inconsiderate risks may prove to pay off and hare-brained ideas, as trivial as may be, may bring an undeniable pleasantness into a dull and stiff routine. Then, the seriousness with which you manage your life can but bear fruit.