Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin
March 25, 1942
Memphis, Tennessee

This barrier-breaking Ram was the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame -- and showed the whole world the meaning of 'Respect.'

'Being a singer is a natural gift. It means I'm using to the highest degree possible the gift that God gave me to use. I'm happy with that.'

Aretha Franklin's Tarot Reading

Aretha Louise Franklin was born in Memphis, Tennessee to gospel singer and pianist, Barbara Franklin and the Rev. Clarence L. Franklin of the New Bethel Baptist Church of Detroit. Her older sister, Erma, was the first to record Janis Joplin's hit song, 'Piece of My Heart' and her younger sister, Carolyn, penned Aretha's soulful classic, 'Ain't No Way.'

Ain't no way for me to love you
If you won't let me
It ain't no way for me to give you all ya need
If you won't let me give all of me
(Oooooooo) I know that a woman's duty
Is to help and love the man
And that's the way it was for me
Oh but how can I, how can I, how can I, give ya
Give ya all the things I can
If you're tying both of my hands?

With her Sun in Aries, 'Lady Soul' is a woman who excels under fire. She often feels that she must fight her way through life, counting upon no one and nothing but her own might, brain power and courage. She stands for total honesty and remains true to herself and her own vision, even if it means standing alone. Integrity, personal honor and authenticity are her guidelines and she has no respect for weakness of character in others. She requires absolute freedom to do things her own way and works very well independently. Carrying out another's will is definitely not her thing. She likes to be in charge.

She loves action and if others are snuggling down into a nice, comfy groove, she is always ready to stir things up or bring in some fresh blood. Routine and sameness are anathema to her. She is never scared to try something new and often invents or initiates things that others will later emulate. Taking risks and following her own path are the breath of life for Aretha Franklin and she either wilts or gets frustrated and angry when hindered. She is spontaneous, direct, passionate and self-assured. Believing in the power of positive thinking and positive action, she thinks of herself as a strong, perhaps indestructible individual. She hates being ill or in any way in a position of dependency. Accepting her own limitations can be a problem for her. She is basically uncompromising in her approach to life and often gets so enthusiastic about her own goals that she unintentionally runs over or disregards other people's concerns. Showing interest and appreciation for others' ideas and feelings could do wonders for her relationships. However, her impatience to get on with things causes her to be somewhat insensitive at times and she may alienate others unnecessarily. She could reap many benefits by learning to slow down, lighten up and just let go once in a while, but her energetic, edgy nature rarely permits this to happen.

Sun trine Pluto indicates that she has a deep belief in her own power and ability to survive any change; to emerge victoriously from any difficulty. She has tremendous inner resources and strength. Intense, strong willed and zealous, she pursues her desires and goals with complete dedication and singleness of purpose. She may be somewhat compulsive, even fanatical at times. She likes to live intensely and has no regard for anyone who is weak or won't confront life and their own destiny.

Mercury in Pisces reveals that she is more romantic than rational, for her mind does not function in a strictly linear way. The language of music, art or poetry is natural to her and she is thinks in highly metaphorical terms. This may have been especially true of Aretha as a child and she probably daydreamed a good deal. Very intuitive, she senses what others think and feel before they say a word. She often sums up a person or situation without many facts and is frequently right. However, she can be somewhat inattentive -- so absorbed by her own thoughts that she may miss seemingly obvious things around her.

With an extremely open-mind, she believes that anything is possible. Ethereal or spiritual forces seem just as real to her as anything in the material world. Her imagination and her understanding of other people are two of her greatest gifts. 'I sing to the realists; people who accept it like it is', she says. Mercury conjunct Sun/Venus gives her a charming disposition and she loves to socialize and meet new people. She likes to be surrounded by beautiful things and to talk to others about her views on love, beauty, fashion and art.

With Venus in Aquarius she is frank and unconventional in her attitude towards love, romance and sex. She enjoys bringing people together and having many friends of both sexes. She values friendship very highly and is, in fact, more comfortable being a friend than a lover. She desires an intellectual rapport or spiritual connection with her love partner, but deep intimacy and emotional bonding do not come easily to her. The role of 'wife' in the traditional sense doesn't really appeal to her. She abhors jealousy and possessiveness since she feels that no person truly belongs to another. She appreciates a love partner who will allow her plenty of freedom and who is not emotionally demanding. In 1962 she married Ted White, who was also her manager at one time. They were divorced in 1969. In 1978 she married Glynn Turman. They were divorced in 1984. She has four sons. Clarence, Jr. was born when she was 15, Edward when she was 16. Ted White, Jr. was named after her first husband and Kecalf was born to Aretha and Ken Cunningham. Venus trine Jupiter means that she appreciates beautiful surroundings and congenial company. She is good-humored and generous at heart and although she enjoys helping people, she may not put herself out too much in order to do so.

Mars in Gemini ensures that Aretha is energetic, restless and forever on the go. Her active mind is always buzzing with ideas and she finds it difficult sometimes to take time to reflect and replenish herself. She tends to live on nervous energy. She often scatters her energies into so many activities at once that she cannot follow through on all of them. With a sharp and eager mind, she needs variety, change and mental challenges. She likes to match wits with others and often attains what she desires by using her ability to speak clearly and convincingly about those things. Her drive is more mental than physical. She relies on wit, intelligence, social sophistication and awareness to reach her goals. Mars conjunct Jupiter gives her a positive, can-do attitude and she tackles life's challenges with relish. She is self-confident with a strong will to succeed. However, no matter what she accomplishes, she does not rest on her laurels. She wants to keep on going -- to do even bigger things. Forward-looking, enterprising and enthusiastic about new projects, she is not happy in situations that do not offer her challenges and the potential for future growth, no matter how secure or satisfactory things may be in other respects. She enjoys competition, but competes mostly with herself, to see how much of her vision and potential she can actually achieve. She makes a good leader, inspiring courage and confidence in others and she usually enjoys good health and high vitality.

Saturn trine Neptune signifies that she is very sensitive to the inner qualities of sincerity, integrity and good will. She notices these qualities -- or the lack of them -- more quickly than others and brings them up frequently in songs like 'Think,' which she famously performed in the movie, The Blues Brothers.

People walk around everyday
Playin' games and takin' scores
Tryin' to make other people lose their mind
Well, be careful you don't lose yours.

Ooh think [think]
Think about what you're tryin' to do to me
Woo-hoo, think [think]
Let your mind go, let yourself be free.

She is philosophical about life and very perceptive, with enormous faith in her own wisdom and depth of understanding of religious, metaphysical, artistic and intuitive subjects. 'My faith always has been and always will be important to m,e' says Franklin.

Jupiter in Gemini reveals that she has the ability to see connections between seemingly unrelated ideas or worlds and to bring them together. She excels in any field requiring a clear intellect and communication skills. She has an insatiable curiosity and her mind never stops.

Saturn in Taurus suggests that she either overvalues or undervalues her possessions and assets and may deny herself sensual pleasure and enjoyment of the fruits of her labors. She may also be unable to give freely. Many times she feels that she does not have enough to make her feel secure, regardless of how much she has. While this trait is dictated by the planets, it probably didn't help that her parents were separated when she was only six years old. She lived with her father in Detroit and when she was ten, her mother died. Her father was killed by gunfire as the result of a burglary in 1984. With Saturn conjunct Uranus she is serious about her interests, does not accept superficial answers and is not easily placated. She wants to bring her inspirations into concrete reality and doesn't mind upsetting a few apple carts if necessary. She becomes impatient with others for being hesitant to implement new ideas and take action.

Aretha Franklin was born during a 20-year period with Pluto in Leo which spawned a generation that is very concerned with self-development and personal integrity. Civil rights, human rights and women's rights are issues that her generation has fostered and they reflect her own concern with integrity, honor and respect. Her age group has a deeply felt sense that each person has an equal right and opportunity to fully develop his or her inner potential and she has more than accomplished this for herself. The state of Michigan, for example, declared Aretha Franklin's voice a 'Natural Resource.' She holds the Number One position on VH1's list of the Greatest Women of Rock and Roll, has earned nineteen Grammy awards (eleven for Best Female R 'n' B Vocal Performance), performed at President Bill Clinton's 1992 inauguration and was voted the 9th Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Artist of all time by Rolling Stone Magazine -- to name only a few of the honors that have been bestowed upon The Queen of Soul. 'If a song's about something I've experienced or that could've happened to me it's good. But if it's alien to me, I couldn't lend anything to it. Because that's what soul is all about.'

Do you have a burning question about your favorite celebrity? Find out what's going on with a Free Psyhcic Reading.