Ozzy Osbourne

Ozzy Osbourne
December 3, 1948
Birmingham, England, UK

While he may come across as a bad boy, this Archer's aim comes straight from the heart.

'Of all the things I've lost I miss my mind the most.'

Ozzy Osbourne's Tarot Reading

John Michael Osbourne was born in Birmingham, England to Jack and Lillian Osbourne. The fourth of six kids in all, he has two brothers, Paul and Tony, and three sisters, Jean, Iris and Gillian.

With his Sun in Sagittarius, Ozzy Osbourne is a gambler and an adventurer at heart, one who loves to take risks, to discover and explore new worlds and to take the untried path. He is an independent, freedom-loving soul who is often very restless. He needs a lifestyle that provides opportunities for travel, movement, change and a variety of new people. A steady routine which offers much in the way of security but little in the way of space and freedom would be abhorrent to him. To Ozzy, life is an adventure, endlessly interesting and rich with possibilities, and it may be difficult for him to decide where to focus his efforts. He probably traveled around and experimented with many different paths before he settled on one particular direction, for once the challenge and vital interest of a new project is gone, he is very quick to move on. Indeed, after school he took on numerous different jobs before he wound up in a band with Geezer Butler, which soon disbanded.

Ozzy and Geezer teamed up with Tony Iommi and Bill Ward in another band that went by various names until they decided to call themselves Black Sabbath -- after a song with that title from their first album, which came out in late 1969 or early 1970. The group produced a few more albums even though his friendship with Tony Iommi disintegrated, resulting in Ozzy's leaving the band in 1979. He quickly went solo, using a variety of band members that changed constantly from one album to the next and every time he went out on tour. Even so, each of his all-original solo albums went multi-platinum and Rolling Stone Magazine voted Black Sabbath the 85th Greatest Rock and Roll Artists of all time.

Commitment, discipline and focus are not Ozzy's strong points. In school he was accused of being 'dumb' because he had trouble learning to read, and only found out that he was dyslexic after he reached adulthood. To this day he can be immature and disinclined to take on the burdens and constraints of adult life. An incurable optimist, he has big dreams and aspirations for the future. Usually pursuing a distant goal, he has a great deal of faith and trust in life, wisecracking, 'The lifestyle I've been living for the last 30 years, I could have been dead a thousand times.' Failures don't crush the Great Ozz's spirit. He always bounces back from disappointments, often with another bright dream or scheme. He has a sporting, playful attitude toward life and is philosophical about his mistakes, saying, 'A life of booze, drugs and unprotected sex is only going to f*** you up! I mean, look at me!'

He has the ability to sense future trends, to see the big picture and likes to theorize and speculate. However, attending to all of the details and practical requirements of implementing his theories is a bother to him. He expresses himself in a very open, direct manner and is often blunt and tactless, as well. He may not comprehend how severely his candid statements can wound more thin-skinned types. In fact, though he may not realize it, his insensitivity and thoughtlessness regarding others' feelings is probably one of his worst faults. He does enjoy friendship and camaraderie, but also needs freedom and would not do well with a possessive, clinging or emotionally demanding partner. He is quite generous himself, and heartily dislikes stinginess in others. People who share his ideals, his sense of fun and his zest for life are the right companions for the Godfather of Heavy Metal. With Sun conjunct Mercury there is little ambiguity about him and he generally knows what he wants and what will make him happy.

Sun square Saturn means that feelings of personal inadequacy, inhibition and self-doubt often plague him. He has a cautious, matter-of-fact attitude toward life and tends to work and struggle more than he needs to. He sometimes tends to take himself too seriously. Sun's aspect to Saturn and Neptune indicates that while he is down-to-earth and hard-working, he also has an otherworldly, dreamy or mystical side. With Sun sextile Neptune he is very open and receptive to the spiritual, intangible and subtle realms, and can easily receive or give mindful guidance based on his inner attunement. He takes many things for granted, such as the existence of an afterlife or the effects of subtle influences like spiritual healing. These things seem obvious to Ozzy, whereas to many people they are a matter of speculation or can even seem unreal. He might not realize he has spiritual gifts because they come so naturally to him.

Mercury in Sagittarius shows that he possesses vision and foresight, and his mind is often occupied with big ideas, plans and goals for the future. He is interested in what is possible and what is on the horizon, rather than what has already been done. The study of philosophy, religion, politics or education is of interest to him, but he is more concerned with theories and concepts than with specific applications. He is not inclined to focus on any one concrete area, finding it irksome to deal with minutiae. However, Mercury square Saturn suggests that he can get wrapped up entirely in his own thoughts and completely engrossed in some small detail. He is slow and cautious, but thorough in his work. Old fashioned and something of a skeptic, he prefers dealing with facts rather than speculation. He may also be distrustful or fearful of anything he cannot understand with his rational mind, admitting, 'I'm a very simple man. You've got to have, like, a computer nowadays to turn the TV on and off ... and the nightmare continues.'

Mercury conjunct Venus/Mars means that his thinking is influenced by the way he feels about love and he tends to speak freely about love and sexual matters. He has a great ability to play with words and could do well as a writer. With Mercury conjunct Venus/Jupiter he is optimistic, has a sense of humor and loves to entertain. He does everything in a loving way and considers love to be a significant enrichment of his life. 'I have a genuine love affair with my audience,' says Osbourne. 'When I'm on stage they're not privileged to see me. It's a privilege for me to see them.'

Venus in Scorpio reveals that in love, he desires a deep, intense, passionate union with his beloved, forming very strong emotional bonds. He connects to the person he loves at a very deep level, and is often extremely protective of that union. Sharon Osbourne, whose father, Don Arden, was Ozzy's first manager, stepped into the role of Ozzy's manager when Arden moved on. On July 4, 1982 they were married. They are still very much together and have three children. Ozzy attended the births of all three: Aimee, Kelly and Jack. He also has two children, Louis and Jessica by former wife, Thelma, and adopted her son from a previous marriage, Elliot Kingsley.

He can be very demanding with his love partner and he tends to be somewhat suspicious of any platonic relationships she may have. If he is ever betrayed, he is capable of hating with as much force and intensity as he once loved. He is attracted to people who have an aura of mystery about them. Venus sextile Mars gives him a tremendous rapport with the opposite sex, and love, romance and passion are absolutely vital to his well-being. It is rare for him to go very long without an intimate companion and the physical component of a relationship is very important to him. About this, he quips, 'Viagra's a great sleeping drug. I take Viagra, and Sharon goes right to sleep.' Artistic creations and projects are another way for him to channel his passion.

Venus sextile Saturn shows that in love and romance, it's important for him to be able to deeply respect his partner. He looks beyond the superficial qualities to see their inner worth before he lets himself really fall for someone. In fact, too much glamour or flashiness is something of a turn-off to him. He is capable of a mature, lasting love relationship and needs a mate who is deep, loyal and committed -- a description that completely fits Sharon. Venus conjunct Mercury/Neptune indicates that he has a vivid imagination and is likely to envision the most wonderful things, but may over-idealize and expect too much of love. He tries to escape unpleasant experiences through fantasy. Neptune conjunct Sun/Pluto suggests that at times his will seems paralyzed and his vigor rather low. He is extremely sensitive and highly impressionable. He also has a tendency to be a martyr.

Mars in Capricorn guarantees that he is serious about his ambitions. He is dedicated and tenacious in pursuing his goals. His drive and energy are directed toward material accomplishment and concrete results. He also strives to be in a position of authority and social influence and enjoys being the person who is in command. He is hard-working and capable of foregoing immediate comfort in order to achieve his long-range goals. He can easily become a workaholic, fixated on doing a thorough job. Quite pragmatic, he is an excellent strategist. He attains success by formulating a conservative and workable plan and following through with it. He is not a gambler when it comes to attaining his goals, depending on his own efforts and perseverance rather than good fortune. 'Last year I sang for the Queen of England, met the president of the United States, and got an Emmy and a star on The Walk of Fame,' says Ozzy. 'And what did I do? I was just being myself.'

He has a natural shrewdness and instinct for business. Mars conjunct Jupiter shows he has a positive, can-do attitude and tackles life's challenges with relish. He is self-confident and has a strong will to succeed, to see how much he can do and how far he can go. No matter what he accomplishes, he does not rest on his laurels. He wants to keep on going, to do even bigger things. In 2002, he and Sharon signed up for two more seasons of 'The Osbournes,' a reality show that received the highest ratings in MTV's history. In 2003, he and daughter Kelly collaborated on a remake of Black Sabbath's song, 'Changes,' which immediately soared to number 1 in the United Kingdom.

He is forward-looking, enterprising and enthusiastic about new projects. He is not happy in situations that do not offer him challenges and the potential for growth and expansion -- no matter how satisfactory they may be in other respects. He enjoys competition, but he competes mostly with himself, to see how much of his vision and potential he can really achieve. He makes a good leader, inspiring courage and confidence in others.

Mars' aspect to Jupiter and Saturn shows that although he is enterprising and forward-looking, he is also capable of much self-discipline, patience and effort. He may swing from confidence and trust in the future to pessimism and doubt. Mars trine Saturn means he possesses the gifts of endurance and perseverance and the willingness to work hard and seriously to achieve his objectives. Once he decides he wants something or makes a commitment, he'll do it even if it takes 'forever.' He chooses practical, realistic goals and pursues them step-by-step in a well-planned, orderly way. He enjoys working in solitude and often feels his best work is done when he is alone.

Mars opposition Saturn/N. Node reveals that he is likely to feel depressed frequently and has a strong desire to overcome it, but may not be able to count on much support from others, tending instead to separate himself from them. In fact, he was hospitalized more than once because of depression after his father's death in 1977.

He enjoys surprises and exploring new territory, both intellectually as well as physically. Jupiter opposition Saturn/N. Node means he likes to be alone and seems to be happy when he is by himself. He is also very fond of doing things for others, may sacrifice his own wishes for them and feels an inner joy knowing that he was able to help someone else.

With Saturn in Virgo he is often hypercritical and can be such a demanding perfectionist that he discourages himself or others from even attempting something that won't be done exactly the way he knows it should be done. He frequently over-analyzes or picks things apart mentally. He may be something of a hypochondriac as well. He must learn that he does not have to rationally understand everything in order for it to be valid, and also to relax his unnecessarily high or strict standards. Saturn opposition Mars/N. Node makes him quite reserved and somewhat inhibited when associating with others. He feels that he doesn't fit in very well with other people and finds team-work difficult to achieve.

With N. Node opposition Jupiter/Saturn he is likely to offer help and protection to people around him. He stands up for social justice and unselfishly works for the good of his community. Refusing any kind of personal advantage, he lives in harmony with those around him. He may have been only half-joking when he said, '(Black) Sabbath were a hippy band. We were into peace.'

With Jupiter in Capricorn he has an innate shrewdness, and is likely to excel, both because he is ambitious and because it is very important for him to do a professional job, no matter what field he is in, or how humble the task. Jupiter opposition Uranus indicates that his gaiety, enthusiasm, optimism and an upbeat attitude generate many opportunities for him. He enjoys being spontaneous and taking risks. He must have a great deal of personal freedom and independence, and prefers the wide-open spaces to a very rigid, structured lifestyle.

His sense of humor and playfulness enables him to make it through the rough spots in life, as well as to bounce back when his gambles do not quite pan out. In 1997, at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City, Ozzy gave his first public interview of the year in an AOL online chat, kicking off yet another comeback Ozzfest tour and a new CD. The chat was produced by Sally Swift, who said, 'He is incredibly profane. But he's also smart. And witty. He's totally devoted to -- and dependent upon -- his wife Sharon. And he holds no illusions about his checkered past, its effect on his children ... and on other people's children, too. He spoke candidly about his former drug and alcohol abuse and urged his fans not to make the same mistakes. One of his best lines came in the middle of the chat when a questioner asked about the extent of his drug use. 'If they dropped a nuclear bomb on New York,' Ozzy said, 'The only things left alive would be cockroaches, Keith Richards and me.'' That same week, Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.