Merce Cunningham: Astrological Article and Chart

Horoscope and chart of Merce Cunningham

^* A planet less than 1° from the next House cusp is considered to be posited in the said House. 2° when the AS and the MC are involved

Astrological portrait of Merce Cunningham (excerpt)

Disclaimer: these short excerpts of astrological charts are computer processed. They are, by no means, of a personal nature. This principle is valid for the celebrities included in our database. These texts provide the meanings of planets, or combination of planets, in signs and in houses, as well as the interpretations of planetary dominants in line with modern Western astrology rules. Moreover, since Astrotheme is not a polemic website, no negative aspect which may damage the good reputation of a celebrity is posted here, unlike in the comprehensive astrological portrait.

Introduction

Here are some character traits from Merce Cunningham's birth chart. This description is far from being comprehensive but it can shed light on his/her personality, which is still interesting for professional astrologers or astrology lovers.

The dominant planets of Merce Cunningham

When interpreting a natal chart, the best method is to start gradually from general features to specific ones. Thus, there is usually a plan to be followed, from the overall analysis of the chart and its structure, to the description of its different character traits.

In the first part, an overall analysis of the chart enables us to figure out the personality's main features and to emphasize several points that are confirmed or not in the detailed analysis: in any case, those general traits are taken into account. Human personality is an infinitely intricate entity and describing it is a complex task. Claiming to rapidly summarize it is illusory, although it does not mean that it is an impossible challenge. It is essential to read a natal chart several times in order to absorb all its different meanings and to grasp all this complexity. But the exercise is worthwhile.

In brief, a natal chart is composed of ten planets: two luminaries, the Sun and the Moon, three fast-moving or individual planets, Mercury, Venus and Mars, two slow-moving planets, Jupiter and Saturn, and three very slow-moving planets, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto. Additional secondary elements are: the Lunar Nodes, the Dark Moon or Lilith, Chiron and other minor objects. They are all posited on the Zodiac wheel consisting of twelve signs, from Aries to Pisces, and divided into twelve astrological houses.

The first step is to evaluate the importance of each planet. This is what we call identifying the dominant planets. This process obeys rules that depend on the astrologer's sensitivity and experience but it also has precise and steady bases: thus, we can take into account the parameters of a planet's activity (the number of active aspects a planet forms, the importance of each aspect according to its nature and its exactness), angularity parameters; (proximity to the four angles, Ascendant, Midheaven, Descendant and Imum Coeli or Nadir, all of them being evaluated numerically, according to the kind of angle and the planet-angle distance) and quality parameters (rulership, exaltation, exile and fall). Finally, other criteria such as the rulership of the Ascendant and the Midheaven etc. are important.

These different criteria allow a planet to be highlighted and lead to useful conclusions when interpreting the chart.

The overall chart analysis begins with the observation of three sorts of planetary distributions in the chart: Eastern or Western hemisphere, Northern or Southern hemisphere, and quadrants (North-eastern, North-western, South-eastern and South-western). These three distributions give a general tone in terms of introversion and extraversion, willpower, sociability, and behavioural predispositions.

Then, there are three additional distributions: elements (called triplicity since there are three groups of signs for each one) - Fire, Air, Earth and Water - corresponding to a character typology, modality (or quadruplicity with four groups of signs for each one) - Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable - and polarity (Yin and Yang).

There are three types of dominants: dominant planets, dominant signs and dominant houses. The novice thinks astrology means only "to be Aries" or sometimes, for example, "to be Aries Ascendant Virgo". It is actually far more complex. Although the Sun and the Ascendant alone may reveal a large part of the character - approximately a third or a half of your psychological signature, a person is neither "just the Sun" (called the sign) nor just "the first house" (the Ascendant). Thus, a particular planet's influence may be significantly increased; a particular sign or house may contain a group of planets that will bring nuances and sometimes weaken the role of the Ascendant, of the Sun sign etc.

Lastly, there are two other criteria: accentuations (angular, succedent and cadent) which are a classification of astrological houses and types of decanates that are occupied (each sign is divided into three decanates of ten degrees each). They provide some additional informations.

These general character traits must not be taken literally; they are, somehow, preparing for the chart reading. They allow to understand the second part of the analysis, which is more detailed and precise. It focuses on every area of the personality and provides a synthesis of all the above-mentioned parameters according to sound hierarchical rules.

Astrological Quadrants for Merce Cunningham

Each quadrant is a combination of the four hemispheres of your birth chart and relates to a character typology. The Southern hemisphere – the top of your chart, around the Midheaven – is associated with extraversion, action, and public life, whereas the Northern hemisphere prompts to introversion, reflexion, and private life. The Eastern hemisphere – the left part, around the Ascendant – is linked to your ego and your willpower, whereas the Western hemisphere indicates how other people influence you, and how flexible you are when you make a decision.

Merce Cunningham, the diurnal South-eastern quadrant, consisting of the 10th, 11th and 12th houses, prevails in your chart: assertion and goals achievement are at the centre of your concerns. You are very keen to implement your dreams and your plans. You achieve your ambitions as soon as possible, whether through an active social life, highly charged friendly relations, or an urge to take actions in order to reap - in the eyes of the world, of course - the rewards of your dynamism. It is likely that spirituality or humanitarian actions are part of your motivations, sometimes at the price of some degree of isolation.

Elements, Modes and House Accentuations for Merce Cunningham

Merce Cunningham, here are the graphs of your Elements and Modes, based on planets' position and angles in the twelve signs:

Like the majority of Earth signs, Merce Cunningham, you are efficient, concrete and not too emotional. What matters to you is what you see: you judge the tree by its fruits. Your ideas keep changing, words disappear, but actions and their consequences are visible and remain. Express your sensitivity, even if it means revealing your vulnerability. Emotions, energy and communication must not be neglected; concrete action is meaningless if it is not justified by your heart, your intellect or your enthusiasm.

The predominance of Water signs indicates high sensitivity and elevation through feelings, Merce Cunningham. Your heart and your emotions are your driving forces, and you can't do anything on Earth if you don't feel a strong affective charge (as a matter of fact, the word "feeling" is essential in your psychology). You need to love in order to understand, and to feel in order to take action, which causes a certain vulnerability which you should fight against.

Air is under-represented in your natal chart, with only 0.00% instead of the average 25%. Air symbolizes the values of communication, exchanges with others, but also adaptability and flexibility abilities: if you don't get out of your cocoon to talk, to show interest in others, and to socialize, you may have problems understanding others. Because of your lack of flexibility or of your refusal to adapt yourself, you may be suddenly overwhelmed by events. You should get into the habit of talking, of phoning, and of thinking in terms of "mobility, flexibility, adaptability, change" in every circumstance. It will spare you so many troubles!

The twelve zodiacal signs are split up into three groups or modes, called quadruplicities, a learned word meaning only that these three groups include four signs. The Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable modes are more or less represented in your natal chart, depending on planets' positions and importance, and on angles in the twelve signs.

The Fixed mode corresponds to a majority of elements in your chart, Merce Cunningham, and represents the desire for security and durability: you are able to concretely appreciate a situation and its stability. You definitely prefer to play the role of a loyal, obstinate and hard-working person, rather than to try new and risky experiences - beware, however, not to confuse obstinacy with intransigence. You structure, cement, and strengthen everything you find on your way: it is your nature, although you are not especially interested in swiftness: slow and steady...

Houses are split up into three groups: angular, succedent and cadent.

The first ones are the most important ones, the most "noticeable" and energetic houses. They are the 1st, 4th, 7th and 10th houses. Their cuspides correspond to four famous angles: Ascendant for the 1st house, Imum Coeli for the 4th house, Descendant, opposite the Ascendant, for the 7th house and Midheaven for the 10th house, opposite the Imum Coeli.

Planets are evaluated according to a whole set of criteria that includes comprehensive Western astrology rules. At their turn, planets emphasize specific types of houses, signs, repartitions etc., as previously explained.

Cadent houses, namely the 3rd, 6th, 9th and 12th houses, are very emphasized in your chart, Merce Cunningham. They indicate important potential for communication, adaptability and flexibility. These houses are symbolically linked to the mind and intellect. The relative weakness implied by these characteristics indicates your tendency to hesitate or to be indecisive, but also your remarkable ability to start off again, which is a nice quality, finally: you can easily get yourself out of a tight spot thanks to your mobility and casualness, in the best sense of the term. This group of houses corresponds to evolutionary characteristics of your personality. However, they are only indications and you must include them in the rest of your chart in order to see whether they are validated or not!

N.B.: this dominant is a minor one.

Dominants: Planets, Signs and Houses for Merce Cunningham

The issue of dominant planets has existed since the mists of time in astrology: how nice it would be if a person could be described with a few words and one or several planets that would represent their character, without having to analyse such elements as rulerships, angularities, houses, etc!

The ten planets - the Sun throughout Pluto - are a bit like ten characters in a role-play, each one has its own personality, its own way of acting, its own strengths and weaknesses. They actually represent a classification into ten distinct personalities, and astrologers have always tried to associate one or several dominant planets to a natal chart as well as dominant signs and houses.

Indeed, it is quite the same situation with signs and houses. If planets symbolize characters, signs represent hues - the mental, emotional and physical structures of an individual. The sign in which a planet is posited is like a character whose features are modified according to the place where he lives. In a chart, there are usually one, two or three highlighted signs that allow to rapidly describe its owner.

Regarding astrological houses, the principle is even simpler: the twelve houses correspond to twelve fields of life, and planets tenanting any given house increase that house's importance and highlight all relevant life departments: it may be marriage, work, friendship etc.

In your natal chart, Merce Cunningham, the ten main planets are distributed as follows:

The three most important planets in your chart are Mars, Venus and the Moon.

Mars is one of your dominant planets and provides you with its efficient energy and enthusiasm: with a powerful Mars in your chart, action - but also will and ability to undertake - is not an empty word for you. You are active, dynamic, willing to fight, courageous, and you are never afraid to move mountains, even though risks are part of the adventures that you start with determination.

However, your patience is not always up to your boldness and a kind of feverishness, or even anger, can tarnish the quality of your achievements. That would be a pity since the Marsian is a champion in matters of efficiency! Mars symbolizes display of action, conquering spirit that favours discipline and order - beware of not being fussy - and lies at the frontier between action and brutality, between conquest and potential aggressiveness.

With Venus among your dominant planets, one of your first reflexes is... to please! Your look, your charm, and your seduction are omnipresent elements in your behaviour.

Your approach to things is connected to your heart, and for you, no real communication can flow if your interlocutors exude no sympathy or warmth. Cold and logical reasoning, clear thoughts and good sense are not important to you: if there is no affective bond with your environment, no connection can be established with the Venusian that you are, and nothing happens.

You have a strong artistic side, and you never neglect subjective but clear concepts such as pleasure, beauty, and also sensuality. However, sometimes to the detriment of efficiency, durability, logic, and... detachment.

The Moon is one of the most important planets in your chart and endows you with a receptive, emotive, and imaginative nature. You have an innate ability to instinctively absorb atmospheres and impressions that nurture you, and as a result, you are often dreaming your life away rather than actually living it.

One of the consequences of your spontaneity may turn into popularity, or even fame: the crowd is a living and complex entity, and it always appreciates truth and sincerity rather than calculation and total self-control.

As a Lunar character, you find it difficult to control yourself, you have to deal with your moods, and you must be careful not to stay passive in front of events: nothing is handed on a plate, and although your sensitivity is rich, even richer than most people's, you must make a move and spare some of your energy for... action!

In your natal chart, the three most important signs - according to criteria mentioned above - are in decreasing order of strength Taurus, Aries and Scorpio. In general, these signs are important because your Ascendant or your Sun is located there. But this is not always the case: there may be a cluster of planets, or a planet may be near an angle other than the Midheaven or Ascendant. It may also be because two or three planets are considered to be very active because they form numerous aspects from these signs.

Thus, you display some of the three signs' characteristics, a bit like a superposition of features on the rest of your chart, and it is all the more so if the sign is emphasized.

With the Taurus sign so important in your chart, you are constructive, stable, and sensual. Good taste, sense of beauty, manners, and unfailing good sense - all these qualities contribute to your charm and seductive power. Furthermore, if some people criticize your slow pace and your stubbornness, you rightly reply that this is the price for your security, and that you like the way it is - slow and steady....

Arian blood runs through your veins! You have that enthusiasm, frankness, courage, and fastness which usually make you so likeable in spite of your somewhat rough, naive, or violent side. As a bonus, Aries' gushing fire always gives you the impetus to make a fresh start, should you stumble or undergo life hardship!

With Scorpio as a dominant sign, you are a strong and astute person, complicated and passionate, sometimes destructive and intolerant, but strong-willed, tough and daring, sometimes bordering on aggressive. So many qualities and dangers combined in one person! Obviously, this often results in a natural selection of people around you: those who stand up to you or admire you and those who can't bear you anymore! But that is precisely what you want. You are what you are and you are not going to transform yourself just to please. You are too proud and you never dread confrontations, although your way of fighting is secret, like your nature that, mysteriously enough, you are so reluctant to reveal even to your close friends who will never understand you. That said... what a hellish charm you have!

The 12th, 7th and 3rd houses are the most prominent ones in your birth chart. From the analysis of the most tenanted houses, the astrologer identifies your most significant fields or spheres of activity. They deal with what you are experiencing - or what you will be brought to experience one day - or they deal with your inner motivations.

The 12th house is emphasized in your chart: like the 8th house, it has a rich and complex meaning. Although its bad reputation is likely to scare most readers in the first place - it is indeed the house of hidden or isolated places, of solitude, of ordeals or enemies - it can also mean that a part of your life is very deep and intense. If your achievements are not visible in the public eye, you may fulfil yourself in a different but equally important way: you may be involved in secret activities, humanitarian causes, and projects in favour of disadvantaged people. You are likely to work in quiet and remote places. In many cases, you will gain from these hidden activities as many treasures as people who have a more public destiny. It may be because you sublimate your work, or only because you successfully carry out your task within your environment. There is no such things as a good or a bad house, because each area of life is necessary in its own way, and we need all of them, if we are to improve spiritually.

Your 7th house is one of your dominant houses: it symbolizes other people, marriages, associations, contracts, and partnerships. Your personal achievement and maybe your problems - depending on the rest of your chart - are mainly influenced by your rapports with others, the area in which you tend to commit yourself a lot. You appreciate communication, and you give importance to others' opinions. Success requires the support of others, which seems obvious and natural to you. Your marriage generally contributes to your fulfilment.

As the 3rd house is one of the most important houses in your chart, communication plays a major role in your life or in your deep motivations: frequent short trips, open-mindedness - which may offset a lack of mutable signs for instance - listening, discussion, interest in learning, knowledge accumulation or long-term studies, etc., are all areas that greatly appeal to you and are part of your daily life.

After this paragraph about dominant planets, of Merce Cunningham, here are the character traits that you must read more carefully than the previous texts since they are very specific: the texts about dominant planets only give background information about the personality and remain quite general: they emphasize or, on the contrary, mitigate different particularities or facets of a personality. A human being is a complex whole and only bodies of texts can attempt to successfully figure out all the finer points.

The Moon in Scorpio and in House 6: his sensitivity

Avec une sensibilité intuitive et lucide ainsi qu'une affectivité exacerbée, vos émotions Merce Cunningham sont secrètes, intenses, profondes et sensuelles. Votre nature magnétique séduit et, conscient de l'étrange fascination que vous exercez sur autrui, vous aimez cultiver cette aura mystérieuse. Vos sentiments sont si puissants que vous vous sentez parfois obligé de les refouler, mais plus vous les contrôlez, plus leur force s'accroît. C'est ainsi que votre jalousie peut se réveiller dans bien des situations et atteindre un tel seuil qu'elle pourra en choquer beaucoup. Sans demi-mesure, vous pourrez alors vous montrer agressif et, comme vous possédez en vous une sorte de radar qui vous permet de déceler instinctivement les faiblesses des autres, il est vrai que vous pouvez faire du mal. Vos émotions sont souvent empreintes d'érotisme et vous détenez ce mélange explosif de lucidité, d'intensité amoureuse et de provocation permanente mais... quel charme ! Vous êtes une nature attractive voire fascinante et vous ne risquez de choquer finalement que les adeptes du juste milieu...

Merce Cunningham, vous êtes bien souvent populaire dans votre environnement quotidien de travail, parfois même un peu la vedette de vos collègues de travail. Ou, si ce n'est pas le cas, il est clair que vous avez tendance à réagir émotionnellement très vite et très fort pour... (excerpt)

Mercury in Aries and in House 12: his intellect and social life

Vous aimez la discussion et les échanges d'idées et savez apporter, Merce Cunningham, les remarques stimulantes et provocantes qui feront avancer le débat. Vous avez tendance à vous mettre en avant par la parole et pouvez devenir un leader. Votre compréhension exacte et rapide, fulgurante même, vous permet d'appréhender les problèmes de manière directe et de prendre facilement des initiatives positives. Inventif, intuitif et pressé de voir aboutir vos projets, vous ne vous intéressez que peu aux détails et préférez aller à l'essentiel. Cependant, votre esprit de décision trop impulsif peut vous précipiter dans des actions irréfléchies ; c'est pourquoi il serait parfois bon d'écouter les conseils d'autrui avant de foncer tête baissée et de faire machine arrière, ce que vous n'appréciez pas spécialement.

Vos pensées, Merce Cunningham, restent souvent secrètes et pour des raisons qui viennent de votre éducation ou de votre propre nature, vous ne communiquez qu'avec discrétion et parcimonie. En fait, vous vous intéressez souvent à des buts nobles et compassionnels, sans en faire aucune publicité évidemment. Votre force... (excerpt)

Venus in Taurus and in House 1, and the Sun in Aries: his affectivity and seductiveness

Dans votre thème, le Soleil est en Bélier, Vénus en Taureau. Vos signes solaire et vénusien appartiennent tous deux au printemps : la tradition évoque à leur égard une certaine animalité... fougue et force seraient un point commun entre ces deux signes. On insiste sur la puissance des instincts, une saine envie de vivre de fortes passions amoureuses. Ce duo zodiacal s'oppose pourtant : à la naïveté du Bélier réagit la prudente lucidité du Taureau. Et l'inertie de l'un s'oppose à la fougue naturelle de l'autre. Bien vécue, cette configuration met en jeu des tendances complémentaires : promptitude à s'émouvoir, faculté d'installer pour longtemps la relation, candeur et fidélité, forte émotivité et sensualité puissante. On ne saurait pourtant passer sous silence les risques éventuels d'un tel duo : celui tout d'abord de ne gouverner que très difficilement ses instincts. Possessivité, jalousie, irritabilité sont quelques uns des défauts qu'on vous attribue si vous vivez de manière trop "primaire" le couple Bélier-Taureau. Revers de la médaille d'une rare vitalité ! Aussi importe-t-il d'apprendre à vivre un certain détachement, une distance sans laquelle vous pourriez fréquemment vous laisser entraîner par le courant inexorable d'une affectivité omniprésente. Autre voie : débrider - faute de gouverner - ses pulsions, accepter l'excessive mais séduisante présence de l'instinct le plus recommandable au monde : l'amour.

Que de volupté et de charme recèle votre personne, Merce Cunningham ! Vous êtes ce que l'on appelle une "nature" et lorsque la confiance s'est installée, lentement mais sûrement, vous vous attachez profondément à votre partenaire et vous pouvez ainsi être gagné par la passion. Cela mettra des mois, voire des années, mais vous êtes si généreux et si affectueux que dans la plupart des cas votre relation de couple a des chances de s'épanouir avec le temps. Très physique, très sensuel, vous avez à coeur de savourer avec délice vos moments intimes et cet aspect de votre relation amoureuse contribue généralement à cimenter le lien existant. Tout cela semble  idyllique, Merce Cunningham et en effet ce serait le cas si parfois, votre jalousie et votre possessivité ne se mettaient pas en marche en même temps que vos sentiments puissants. Mais vous avez déjà beaucoup trop d'atouts, alors soyez satisfait !

Merce Cunningham, lorsque votre Vénus se trouve en maison 1 (encore appelée l'Ascendant), qui représente votre comportement ou le caractère que vous voulez bien laisser paraître aux yeux d'autrui, elle va contribuer à adoucir votre personnalité, vous apporter un charme et une décontraction naturelles et donner à... (excerpt)

The Ascendant is in Taurus and the ruler of the Ascendant is Venus, in Taurus: his behaviour

The ruler of the Ascendant, also referred to as the chart ruler, brings a few interesting nuances to the meanings provided by the Sun and the Ascendant. The sign in which the ruler of the Ascendant is posited fine-tunes the style of personality described by the Sun and the Ascendant. It may strengthen it if the sign is identical to either of them.

The ruler of your Ascendant is in the same sign as your Ascendant. This specific feature means that the characteristics previously delineated for your rising sign are strengthened.

The Sun in Aries and in House 12: his will and inner motivations

Merce Cunningham, votre désir d'accomplissement passe par une forme un peu particulière et originale, dans le sens que vous ne pouvez résister à l'attrait du mystère et d'un certain retrait par rapport aux évènements et aux situations. Vos penchants naturels vous poussent souvent à vous isoler et... (excerpt)

Mars in Taurus and in House 12: his ability to take action

Merce Cunningham, votre façon d'agir gagne en puissance et en précision ce qu'elle perd en rapidité et en spontanéité. Vous êtes un "lent", certes, mais lorsque vous vous mettez en besogne, vous y mettez toute votre ingéniosité et votre persévérance et vous avez l'amour du travail bien fait. A l'arrivée finalement, vous êtes souvent gagnant par cette façon de faire. Sexuellement, vous êtes ainsi généreux et instinctif et votre lenteur n'enlève rien, elle peut même sans doute vous apporter des satisfactions ainsi surtout qu'à votre partenaire ! Dans vos relations amoureuses ainsi d'ailleurs que dans tous vos échanges relationnels en général, vous êtes du genre à garder pour vous ce qui ne va pas car vous êtes extrêmement patient ; vous ne dites rien, encaissez jusqu'à ce que vous explosiez dans des colères aussi violentes qu'elles sont, dieu merci, très rares.

L'action pour vous, Merce Cunningham, ne se conçoit, un peu curieusement d'ailleurs pour la plupart des gens, que d'une façon cachée ou secrète. C'est plutôt cet aspect des choses, la forme donc, qui importe par rapport à ce que vous allez accomplir effectivement. Pas de publicité sur... (excerpt)

Conclusion

This text is only an excerpt from the portrait of of Merce Cunningham, which we hope will inspire you to deepen your knowledge of astrology.

Regarding the sources of the birth data in our possession, kindly note that the pages we publish constitute a starting point for more detailed research, even though they seem useful to us. When the sources are contradictory, which occurs rarely, after having analysed them, we choose the most reliable one. Sometimes, we publish a birth date just because it is made available, but we do not claim that is it the best one, by no means.