Philip K Dick was a science fiction writer whose vision for an automated future is coming scarily true. Best known for the film Blade Runner, based on his novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, he had 11 movies made from his 44 novels and 100 short stories. Despite this he lived in near poverty throughout his career.
Born 16 Dec 1928 12.15pm Chicago, he arrived prematurely, losing a twin sister at birth, and was nearly starved to death himself. He was brought up by his depressive mother after his parents divorced, was ill as a child and damaged by amphetamines fed to him for asthma, which arguably led (along with an unsettled childhood and volatile mother) to ongoing psychosis in his adult life. He drank, pill popped, attempted suicide several times, ended up in psychiatric hospitals, married five times and died in 1982.
Out of what psychiatrists deemed to be schizophrenia came a stream of creativity. His paranoia brought visions of talking bluebottles, caterpillar double-agents, extra-terrestrial ants and protective spiders – and an uncanny presentiment of things to come. He was buried beside his twin sister, where his name had been engraved on the tombstone since her death in readiness, which sounds like a story from Scott Peck’s People of the Lie.
His chart is full of quincunxes (inconjuncts) which would produce strains, stresses and a sense of never fitting in. He did have a strong communication 9th house with a Sun Mercury Saturn in Sagittarius there with Sun Mercury trine a 1st house Jupiter and trine Neptune which was probably what saved him. So a Fire Earth Grand Trine, giving him talent and drive, formed into a Kite with Sun Mercury opposition Mars in Cancer in the 4th.
He had a maverick Uranus on his Aries Ascendant sextile Venus in Aquarius inconjunct Neptune in the 6th – certainly creative, though also indicating fragile health. His Aquarius Moon was inconjunct Pluto in his 4th which with a wide-ish sextile from Moon to Saturn, produced another influential, though also potentially self-destructive, Yod with Pluto as focal point. He had a third Yod from Neptune sextile Mars inconjunct Venus, which can be indulgent though can also lead to a strong sense of social purpose.
His Sun Mercury opposed a 4th house Mars in excitable Cancer with Mars square Uranus – so an explosive personality stemming in part from an aggravated home life and relationship to his tough, ex-marine father and his over-hasty entrance into life at birth (Uranus Asc). His Mars was, to some extent, saved from implosion by being on the focal point of a trine of Neptune to Jupiter, allowing him to channel his anger into fantasies and dreams. He had another mini-Grand Trine of Venus trine North Node in Gemini, sextile Asc Uranus.
His creative, though also manic and unstable, 7th Harmonic (septiles) is extraordinarily strong; as was his ‘genius’ 13H; and leaving-a-legacy-for-history 17H.
What a complicated chart with a Grand Trine, two mini-Grand Trines, 3 Yods and one volcanic square – and a complicated life to go with it. Talent, vision and huge challenges.
“Flow my tears, the policeman said” Convoluted book; I’m not quite certain what level the protagonist remains. Definitely have to obtain another copy and read it.