The Internal Motivations of Taylor Swift

 

Taylor Swift really doesn’t need an introduction.  One of the biggest selling artists of all time, she has just launched her first tour since 2018 which has brought her back into the spotlight, even though she is never far from it.  

We do not have an accurate birth time for Taylor, so we cannot do a full chart analysis.  However, she has a very interesting Moon, as it is joined a retrograde Jupiter and opposite her Saturn and Mercury.  By simply looking at the placement of these four planets, their signs and nakshatras, we can get a good glimpse into how Taylor operates internally and why she is such a beloved musician and inspiration to millions. 

Moon and Jupiter Rx conjunct in Gemini/Ardra:  Expanding using a creative and fast moving mind to improve things of the past.

Taylor’s moon is in Gemini.  The moon is purely reflective and shows how our mind, heart and emotions react to what is going on around us.  All the moon wants is to be at peace, and to connect us to the world, and each other.  It is a part of us that is completely innocent and just wants to feel good.

Gemini is ruled by Mercury, which also has a childlike quality.  Having her moon in this sign indicates one of the reasons Taylor began her career so early in life at age 13.  Gemini is a mutable sign that is curious and never wants to stay the same.  Although she began as a country-western singer, over the course of her career, Taylor has explored a wide variety of musical genres such as pop, folk, rock and alternative.  Gemini rules the hands, and it shows in Taylor’s ability to play a variety of instruments such as guitar, banjo, piano and ukulele.  Another Gemini/Mercury quality is that of being quick, which isn’t lost on the fact her last name is, in fact, “Swift.”

The moon is also related to our psychology, and when the moon’s energy is put through the lens of Gemini, one of the things that can happen is a tendency to confuse emotions with ideas.  How this manifests is that everything she feels gets turned into a story, and even more specifically with Taylor, gets turned into a song.  So many of her songs are simply ways of her expressing the things that are going on in her life.  This is also known as a “diaristic” approach to her writing - simply identifying an emotion, following with a corresponding melody.  It has been said that she has “confessional lyrics” which are definitely a component of her Moon in Gemini.

Very close to Taylor’s moon is her Jupiter which is retrograde.  The moon is how we want to feel all the time.  With another planet there, it will show how we will make what we want happen if for some reason things aren’t going the way we want.

For Taylor, her moon being alongside Jupiter means she likes things to feel big and expansive.   This means she has big ideas, and is also very generous.  She is well known for her philanthropy, donating to a wide variety (Gemini) of charities and causes.  Jupiter is very optimistic in nature, so when difficulties arise for her, in real time she will act as though everything is okay.   

With her Jupiter being retrograde, it indicates that sometimes things can expand in reverse and she can win back things that get lost.  With Jupiter being in Gemini, she can scrutinize a situation and take on projects that require repair and/or rejuvenation.  After a dispute with her former record label in 2019 over the ownership of the master recordings of her first six studio albums, in 2020, she very publicly re-recorded her back catalog so she could maintain control of the masters.  This very much illustrates how her retrograde Jupiter came into play.  She was very attached (Moon) to her words and expressions (Gemini), and she won back what was lost (retrograde Jupiter).  The conjunction of her Moon and Jupiter also shows how she overcomes obstacles and prevails in the long run.  

The conjunction of Moon and Jupiter can often make things quite epic - there can be many exclamation points used to describe this combination.   There is also the possibility of drama, especially considering they are both in the nakshatra of Ardra, ruled by Rahu, which likes to make things chaotic.  This Mercury/Rahu combination can make Taylor think out of the box and can offer a sharp intellect, but it is also a place in our lives which is never satisfied.  Some of the curiosity of Gemini can make Taylor restless and unable to feel satisfied.  But Ardra is also capable of destroying what is no longer needed, which is certainly a reason why Taylor is always re-inventing herself and her music.  

Taylor has no planets before her moon, so there is nothing to help filter out things before they hit her emotionally.  There are no planets after the moon helping her integrate her emotional experiences.  Because of this, she simply reacts in the moment, with Jupiter there making things feel very big and expansive.  This is taken to mean that she may feel some loneliness and a lack of support and will take things to heart very easily.  Saturn and Mercury are in the 7th house from the Moon, showing how her emotions are integrated through other people, especially partners.  This further shows why she writes about her former lovers, and why she was willing to go against her manager and record company to keep the rights to her music masters.  

Saturn and Mercury conjunct in Sagittarius/Purva Ashada - Fighting for freedom of expression and fairness so the beautiful things can last

Across the way from Taylor’s Moon and Jupiter in Gemini are Saturn and Mercury in Sagittarius.  

Saturn and Mercury are also very close to one another which shows she can be very focused, pays attention to details, is shrewd in business and skilled at planning things, not only for the moment (Mercury), but for things to last a long time (Saturn).

Sagittarius is an inspiring and hopeful sign which rules justice showing that Taylor is willing to fight for others.  Saturn is the wise taskmaster who is determined to work hard and see things through to the end.  With Jupiter giving his generous glance to Saturn, this increases Taylor’s sense of generosity and willingness to do things for others (planets 7 houses from the Moon).  

Taylor’s fighting and winning from the battle with her record company, not only benefited her, but it also set a precedent for other musicians to follow.  She was very much supported (Saturn) in her stance of speaking out (Mercury in Sag) which started conversations in the industry about artists’ rights, intellectual property and ethics.  This has led to new artists being encouraged to negotiate for greater ownership of their music.  

Another example of Taylor’s being such an influence due to her Sagittarius/Jupiter placements, is what is called the “Taylor Swift factor,”  Simply by her playing guitar on stage she created a phenomenon which led to a noticeable upsurge in guitar sales to women, which was previously an ignored demographic.  

Saturn is also aspecting her Moon, giving her a sense of urgency, even at a young age.  This is illustrated early in her career.  When she was first signed to a label at 13, she left a year later at 14 due to the company taking too long to get recordings happening.  She is quoted as saying “I genuinely felt (Moon) that I was running out of time (Saturn).  I wanted to capture these years of my life on an album (Moon in Gemini) while they still represented what I was going through.”  

With these planets in the nakshatra of Purva Ashada, ruled by Venus, it shows not only is she expressing herself in a big way (Gemini/Moon/Jupiter) but others (7th house from the moon) respond to her in a similar way.  Purva Ashada can make things invincible and indestructible in a soft and beautiful way.   Purva Ashada creates leaders with significant popularity and mass appeal, as they pool together a wide array of skills to become successful, appealing and powerful.  In Taylor’s case especially, it is easy to see how this pairs well with her planets in curious and playful Gemini to create an artist that has already accomplished so much in only 19 years.  In addition to the qualities of the nakshatra, Saturn is also an indicator of longevity.  This almost certainly shows that Taylor will continue to be famous for the duration of her lifetime, but also that her music, example and causes she works for and will live on for a long, long time.  

Simone Biles - Power from the Start

Some people search their entire lives to find their purpose.  Simone Biles is not one of those people.  Considered the greatest gymnast of all time, from the moment of her birth, her chart clearly shows that there would be a main trajectory of her life.

We’ll start by looking at Simone’s dasha chart. Simone was born during her Moon mahadasha, meaning it was activated and set the tone for her life.  The Moon is the indicator of the mother, and hers is also located in the 4th house of the mother.  This is key because her biological mother wasn’t able to raise her, which is what eventually set her up to live her current life.  In fact, this is what she said in an interview earlier this year:  "Being separated from my biological mom, being placed in foster care before I officially got adopted by my grandparents, it just set me up for a better route at life.” These are her maternal grandparents, whom she considers to be her parents.  It was this mother who was with her when Simone was discovered by her future coach at the age of 6.  

Besides being significant in the house it occupies, Simone’s moon as the ruler of her 6th house was also active in her formative years. This house is the indicator of hard work and sacrifice.  This shows that from the beginning, Simone was willing to do the hard work necessary to be a successful gymnast.  But even more so it indicates the sacrifices of her mother/parents.   Again, to quote Simone in a social media post aimed at her parents she made prior to the 2021 Tokyo Olympics: "Thanks for making sacrifices since day 1 so I can live out my dream. but most importantly thanks for always being there for me through all the highs and lows."

Simone’s moon is also at its most exalted position Taurus/Rohini, so the highest expression of the moon’s energy was available to her in those first few years of her taking gymnastics.  The watery, emotional, fluctuating nature of the moon is safe, stable and grounded in the earthy energy of Taurus.  This environment has given Simone a foundation she has always been able to fall back on during her long and sometimes tumultuous career in the spotlight.  

However, even more than the moon, Simone’s Venus has had an extremely important role in  how her life and career have unfolded right from the beginning.  

Simone was in her Moon/Venus dasha when she began gymnastics.  Venus as the ruler of the 4th house of the mother was also coming into play during this time.  We’ve already discussed the importance her mother has played throughout her life and career, and this sub-dasha lit up this area of her life very brightly.  

Venus is also the ruler of her 9th house of teachers.  It was during this period that she met and began training with Aimee Boorman, who would be her main coach for the next 11 years.  

But even more significant is the fact that Venus is Simone’s Atma Karaka planet, as it is has the highest degree of any other planet in her chart.  Atma means the soul and karaka means significator.  This means it is the significator of the soul’s desire, as it is quite developed, showing she has karma to finish with it in this lifetime,

The houses that Simones’ Atma Karaka rules show the areas of her life where she will experience the life lessons she came here to learn.  We have already mentioned it rules her 4th and 9th houses.  Besides representing the mother, the 4th house is where we find happiness.  Venus as a karaka is the indicator of happiness.  This shows what she is looking for is to be safe, loved and stable.  Since her exalted moon is also there, it shows that she is able to find the happiness she is looking for.  In regards to her gymnastics career, she has won every significant honor available to her in the sport, some of them many times over!

As the ruler of the 9th house of teachers and inspiration, this shows not only has she been blessed with great teachers/coaches she is also an inspiration to others.  It would be hard to quantify how many young girls have taken up the sport of gymnastics because of her.  

But probably even more than in any other way, Venus is significant because it occupies Simone’s first house.  Any planet that is in the 1st house automatically forms a potent raja yoga, giving it even more strength and power in her chart, especially in the houses it rules. 

Raja means “king,” and yoga refers to the relationship the planet has with a certain house which ramps up the power of the planet even more.  Therefore, a raja yoga attracts powerful cosmic energies and shows a significant trajectory of someone’s destiny.  The fact that her Atma Karaka planet is involved in a raja yoga makes it even more significant.  

A raja yoga can take someone to a very high status, which Simone has certainly reached.  It causes her to naturally be steps ahead of her competition and it has helped her achieve success and fame in her life.  

The first house is the indicator of the body,  which is how Simone expresses herself.  Venus being here also shows how she attracts others to her through her athletic prowess, plus it also shows that Simone is naturally blessed with loads of charm and beauty.  

These few planetary placements are just the tip of the iceberg as to what makes Simone Biles tick, but is a great place to start to describe someone who has captured the hearts and minds of people all over the world.