Elton John

Elton John
March 25, 1947
Pinner, Greater London, England, UK

This Ram has not only reached the heights of stardom, he has put his success to work for the less fortunate.

'The great thing about rock and roll is that someone like me can be a star.'

Elton John's Tarot Reading

Sir Elton Hercules John was born Reginald Kenneth Dwight to Sheila Harris and Stanley Dwight, an officer in the Royal Air Force. His parents, both ardent music lovers, divorced in 1962. His mother later married Fred Farebrother who, like Elton's father, encouraged his obvious musical talent. Elton was playing the piano by the time he was three years old. At age 11 he started attending the Royal Academy of Music but dropped out just before graduation for a career in rock and roll.

In 1964 Elton and some friends put together a band, Bluesology, which earned considerable creds backing up touring American bands like The Isley Brothers. In 1966, Bluesology, which included sax player Elton Dean and Reg Dwight (the future Elton John) backed legendary English bluesman Long John Baldry while he toured England. One day Elton answered a classified ad run by Liberty Records' Artist and Repertoire (A and R) manager, Ray Williams in the New Musical Express. When the aspiring rocker arrived for the job interview, Williams handed him some lyrics written by Bernie Taupin. Bernie just happened to have responded to the same ad. Elton (still Reginald at the time) wrote music to go with the lyrics and sent it to Bernie. They have been writing songs together ever since. Their first collaboration, 'Scarecrow' was recorded in 1967. The two didn't meet until six months later by which time Reginald Dwight had become Elton John, a name inspired by Bluesology sax player Elton Dean and Long John Baldry, one of the founding fathers of British blues. In 1972 Elton released Honky Chateau, his first Number 1 album in the USA, featuring hit singles 'Rocket Man' and 'Honky Cat.' The next year he came out with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road starting a run through the '70s that would see seven number 1 albums in a row on the US charts.

Twenty years later, still working together in 1992, he and Bernie were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 1994, Elton was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. On February 24, 1998 he became Sir Elton John when Queen Elizabeth II knighted him for his 'contribution to music and fund-raising for AIDS charities.' In 2004 Rolling Stone Magazine assigned him the Number 49 spot on its list of the Greatest Rock and Roll Artists of All Time. By 2006, Elton was estimated to have sold 250 million albums.

Sun in Aries makes him a person who thrives on challenge. He often feels that he must battle his way through life, depending upon no one and nothing but his own strength, intelligence and courage. He believes in being totally honest, true to himself and his own vision. Integrity, personal honor and authenticity are his gods. He requires the freedom to do things his own way. He is not afraid to try something that's never been done, and even though he may be seen as a fool at times, he also initiates things that others will later emulate. Taking risks and following his own star are the breath of life for Elton, and he wilts (or gets frustrated and angry) if he is thwarted. He is impulsive, unequivocal, enthusiastic and assertive. He believes in the power of positive thinking and positive action and thinks of himself as a strong person. He hates being ill or in any way in a position of dependency. Accepting his own human limitations and emotional needs can be difficult for him.

Mercury in Pisces suggests he is more of a poet than a scientist, for his mind does not function in a strictly logical manner. The language of music, art or poetry is natural to him and he is able to think in highly abstract and symbolic terms. He is extremely open-minded and believes that anything is possible. Ethereal or spiritual forces seem just as real to him as anything in the physical world. His imagination and sympathetic understanding of other people are two of his greatest gifts. Mercury quincunx Pluto means he has a probing, penetrating mind and in his view, nothing is as simple, innocent or straightforward as it appears.

Venus in Aquarius tells us he is open and unconventional in his attitude towards love, romance and sex. He enjoys socializing, bringing people together, and having many friends of both sexes. He values friendship highly and is probably more comfortable being a friend than a lover. He desires an intellectual rapport or spiritual bond with his love partner. He abhors jealousy and possessiveness because he feels that no person truly 'belongs' to another. He appreciates a love partner who will allow him plenty of freedom and is not emotionally demanding. On February 14, 1984 he married German recording engineer Renate Blauel. They were divorced in 1987 after he admitted he was gay. 'I regret it to this day because I was not honest with Renate,' confessed Elton. 'I married her while I knew that my truth was different. I find her a beautiful woman, she could have ruined me financially but she hasn't done that. That is what I call true friendship.' On December 21, 2005 Elton and life partner David Furnish registered their civil partnership at Windsor Town Hall. It was the first day civil unions were legal in England and Wales.

Mars in Pisces reveals he is gentle and impressionable. Although it goes without saying, the planets do say he has a creative imagination and can successfully apply himself to art or music. He has a sensitive physique and needs to maintain good regular health habits in order to build strength and stamina. Mars square Uranus makes him intensely restless. He is always on the go. When he wants something, he wants it now. He acts decisively, impulsively, sometimes hastily and prematurely. Impatient and high-strung, he finds it difficult to slow down, pace himself or relax. In fact, one of his first singles with Bluesology, recorded in 1966, was called 'Mr. Frantic.' He is fiercely independent, self-willed and intolerant of restraints imposed by others. He has a reckless disregard for authority and can be extremely rebellious. He is often brutally frank and abrupt with people, and can be quite impersonal when he is pursuing a desired goal. As if to confirm what the planets have indicated, Elton's partner David, a filmmaker, made a TV documentary entitled, Elton John: Tantrums and Tiaras (1997).

Jupiter in Scorpio signifies his strength lies in his unwillingness to settle for superficiality. He is not afraid of going to extremes or experiencing the depths. The mysterious and the unknown are attractive to him and his intuitive understanding of others' inner drives and motivations is highly developed. Jupiter opposition Mars/Pluto shows he has his goals clearly in mind and spends his energy correctly to accomplish them. He has a strong desire to achieve great things and with enough determination and tenacity to carry through, he is likely to be astonishingly successful. In 1992, he declared that all profits from his singles (he has over 50 top 40 hits alone) would go to AIDS charities. He created the Elton John AIDS Foundation, now one of the largest nonprofit AIDS charities in the world.

'I've dodged so many bullets. Not just because of unsafe sex, but because of the amount of drugs I did, the amount of alcohol, the amount of work I was doing. I started the Elton John AIDS Foundation because I got so lucky.'