Celebrating Arthur Conan Doyle

To celebrate Arthur Conan Doyle’s 164th birthday, our resident Astrologer, Kat Wojdyla, has studied his birth chart. Read on for what she found. 

22nd May 2023 marks the 164th birthday of Arthur Conan Doyle – creator of Sherlock Holmes, author of ‘History of Spiritualism’ and our namesake. 

What does his birth chart have to say about his personality, fate and karma?

When we look at the elemental balance of Conan Doyle’s chart we can see a strong emphasis on the Air element (5 planets), while the Water element is represented only by one planet (Neptune in Pisces). He also has two planets in the Earth element and another two planets in the Fire element. In Astrology, Air is connected to the intellect, the mental realm, communication, logic and reason. People whose charts are abundant in the Air element seek to understand and conceptualise the world. Their minds connect to the endless potential and bring innovative ideas. 

Meanwhile the imbalance of Water in the chart suggests that emotions are not as important as logic. On a karmic level, low Water can represent past lives where emotions had to be under control. 

This intellectual and logic-oriented personality of Conan Doyle is shown well through his Luminaries (the Sun and the Moon).

Conan Doyle’s Moon is placed in the sign of Aquarius in the 9th House. This suggests a person who can detach from and rationalise their emotions. Aquarius prefers to observe others like a scientist, without becoming too involved in the realm of feelings. There is a strong need to connect with others through common ideas and humanitarian pursuits. The Moon in 9th House brings interest in  law, philosophy and foreign lands and cultures.

Sun in Gemini in 12th House is an interesting placement. Sun in Gemini is characterised by curiosity and versatility. The self shines by establishing intellectual connections with a wide variety of people. Constantly on the move, there is no time to waste for a person with their Sun in Gemini. 

Conan Doyle’s Sun and Moon are in a beautiful trine, showing a harmonious flow of energy and an ease when it comes to matters of the mind. It is not a surprise that Conan Doyle was a writer and a physician while also being involved in politics.

Yet, what about his more mystical side? 

As mentioned earlier, Conan Doyle’s Sun is placed in the 12th House, along with 5 other planets. The 12th House is the most mysterious house in the birth chart, dealing with the collective unconscious and karma. With the Sun in this house, the individual can tap into the divine and act as a vessel for the dreams, longings and yearnings of the collective. The task is to bring to consciousness what is hidden and what has not yet been formed. 

Mercury and Pluto are also present in the 12th House, bestowing on Conan Doyle a sharp mind that will not rest until it reaches the core of the matter. 

With so many planets in the 12th House Conan Doyle was surely acting as a channel for something greater and thanks to his intellectual abilities he was capable of expressing these energies through writing. 

Lastly, Conan Doyle’s Nodal Axis is placed on the Aquarius/Leo and 4th/10th House axis. The Nodal Axis shows the soul’s journey; the South Node represents past lives and what we have done many times before, while the North Node shows the direction we need to take in this life to evolve spiritually. Conan Doyle’s South Node in Leo in 4th house ties in with his 12th House Sun. Karmically, it represents a past life as someone of great importance. It could have left soul memories of wanting to be recognised in this lifetime as well, focusing more on the ‘self ’rather than ‘others’. There can be an element of pride and being known for one’s lineage.

The challenge for Conan Doyle was to shift to what the collective needs, with his North Node in Aquarius. This placement speaks of working as a group for the benefit of the society. In 10th House, it asks the individual to step outside of the familiar and spread the message to a wider audience. 

However, North Node is conjunct Chiron; an asteroid representing our Karmic wounds. Chiron in Aquarius in 10th House brings wounds that have to do with being an outcast or a scapegoat and looking for external authority to bring validity to one’s life choices. 

It must have been quite a challenge for Conan Doyle to be publicly involved in spiritual matters which surely went against the mainstream beliefs of the intellectuals and scientists of his time. 

Arthur Conan Doyle passed away in 1930, but his birth chart is still alive and interacting with the planetary movements in the same way our birth charts are. He lives through his writings and ideas that are being rediscovered and reinterpreted all around the world, even after almost hundred years after his passing.

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