Tupac Shakur Astrological Portrait | Pt 1: “Betrayed by one’s beliefs.”

Background

Hello everyone, this is the mind of lilith and thank you for joining me for part one of my analysis of Tupac Shakur’s natal chart. Tupac had a very interesting and  complicated life from birth, he was betrayed by friends, family and associates in spite of how generous, naive, and loyal he was to these people, so for this analysis I’m going to focus on his tragic relationships with his mother and women, and in part two, I’m going to discuss the violence and danger that marked his life. 

Chart Information
Tupac Shakur:  June 16th, 1971 in the Bronx, NY

The Sun: Father, Consciousness of the Self as a Separate Entity, Ego expression, Awareness, Evolution, Life force

Sun in Gemini at 24°51’ conjunct Mercury in Gemini at 19deg2’ square Pluto

Tupac was born on June 16th, 1971 in the Bronx, NY. He has the Sun, Mercury and Venus in Gemini, Moon and Chiron in Aries opposite Pluto and Uranus, Mars in Aquarius, Jupiter in Scorpio, Saturn in Taurus, Uranus in Libra, Neptune in Sagittarius and Pluto in Virgo. Based on the events of his life and death, Tupac may have been a Capricorn ascendant, which would not be surprising as his mother Afeni was a Capricorn. Capricorn ascendants usually have a serious or gravely disposition and they can be gangly or thin unless there’s an aspect to Jupiter which can cause these natives to be emotional eaters. Capricorn ascendants do not shy away from responsibility, and are usually very practical hard workers that love to take the lead in situations and manage others. It is easy for most Capricorn ascendants to make sacrifices and exercise discipline to reach their goals unless again there are some challenging aspects to contend with.

People with the Sun in Gemini are mercurial in nature, witty, intelligent, curious, charming, youthful, skillful, rebellious, and excellent communicators in written and spoken word. Tupac was a prolific artist, rapper, actor, and activist. He lived life on the edge like many Plutonians, and experienced many tragedies and crises that have cemented his legacy to this day. There is just as much interest in Tupac’s life now as it was when he was murdered at the age of 25 over 2 decades ago. He’s become a canonized figure around the world, which is extraordinary for someone who came from very humble beginnings, the child of a drug addicted, bitter and depressed mother and a father who didn’t raise him because he was married to another woman. 

Mercury: Divine Messengers, writers, geniuses, artists, musicians

Sun and Mercury square Pluto

Tupac has the Sun and Mercury square Pluto and people with Sun square Pluto have to learn tough lessons about personal power, helplessness, and transmuting tragedy and pain to evolve. The Pluto in Virgo generation (1959-1972) transformed the language of American culture and therefore its perspectives about race, class, and socioeconomic status. This is the hip-hop generation that gave birth to legends like Public Enemy, LL Cool J, Queen Latifah, Big Daddy Kane, DMX, Biggie Smalls, Black Thought, Rakim, Method Man, Cool Moe Dee, and others. I’m going to go more into depth about Pluto transits in the next few weeks.

Pluto: Transformation, crises, ego death, evolutionary path

Pluto in Virgo

Because Pac’s Sun and Pluto are ruled by Mercury he used the written and spoken word to help facilitate the transformative experiences he was looking for. People who have Pluto aspects to their Sun or other personal planets can be daredevils and they seek to break away from the limitations of their circumstances or they will challenge the obstacles that others put before them. Depending on the sign, house and element of Pluto, this challenge can be overt or covert, but the ultimate goal of the Plutonian is constant evolution through transformative experiences. These experiences are rarely if ever comfortable, they’re usually painful, and sometimes dangerous or deadly, and this is how Pac’s fate played out. Tupac’s compulsive desire to evolve spiritually compelled him to seek people and experiences that would force him to grow and change.

However with Pluto, the agents and catalysts of change must be directed, focused, and intentional, otherwise it becomes self-destructive and even dangerous. The end of Pac’s life was a maelstrom of drama, danger, betrayal, and violence because he did not direct his forceful energy productively, his mercurial temperament pulled him in many directions which diverted his focus and left him vulnerable for attack from many powerful enemies which he can we with his Mars in Aquarius placement. If not controlled or managed carefully, the power of Pluto can become nuclear, destroying everything in its path, including its host. If you are someone with Pluto conjunct, square or opposing any of your personal planets, you have to learn how to control your thoughts and emotions and focus on one goal at a time, otherwise you’ll become an octopus trying to manage all of the distractions that will come your way because Plutonians are very magnetic, and they can attract turmoil and drama to their lives faster than people who don’t have this aspect.

The Moon: Mother, nurturing, women, needs, babies, family history, ancestry, the past, karma

Moon in Aries 2°54’ conjunct Chiron in Aries

The moon represents our mother, our emotional needs, what makes us feel secure, what is familiar to us. The moon also shows how we react and respond to situations based on our childhood conditioning and psychological imprinting from the mother. Aspects to the moon and the moon’s sign indicate how we nurture and protect others, and what we need from others to feel safe around them. Tupac’s moon in Aries showed a fierce, protective spirit, he was a fervent warrior who was passionate about what he believed in, even to the point of violence. This was a trait inherited from both of his parents who were freedom activists in the black panther party. Tupac once shot at two off duty white police officers who were harassing a black driver. I wouldn’t be surprised if his reaction to that situation was based on stories his mother told him about her experiences as a black panther. Malcolm X also had a moon in Aries, and like Afeni Shakur, Malcolm’s mother was also very educated, independent, strong and fierce, instilling courage and righteousness in her son just as Afeni tried to do with Tupac. 

The painful and complicated relationship that Tupac had with his mother is further illustrated with the Chiron conjunction to his moon. Chiron represents our deepest wounds and trauma that we cannot heal due to circumstances beyond our control and because we can’t change the past, so we have to push through and use our pain to help others. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that Tupac’s issues with women can be directly linked to his issues with his mother. Moon conjunct Chiron also indicates that the mother is in deep pain throughout her life. Afeni had a lot of struggles with men, she was betrayed by the men in her life just as Tupac was betrayed by the people in his life; Pac inherited his karma from his parents, as all children do. This is why we have to be careful to conceive children in love and not lust, because lust is a selfish desire that can bring about hate and resentment when there are unexpected consequences.

Moon opposite Pluto and Uranus

Pluto represents transformation and transmutation through crisis, trauma, betrayal usually caused by painful secrets the mother may be carrying within her. Whenever I see someone with a tragic, traumatic or chaotic life, there’s usually a challenging aspect between Pluto and the moon. In Tupac’s case, his mother struggled with drug addiction and homelessness after being disillusioned with the politics of the Black Panther Party, of which she was a member. As a single mother living in poverty, Afeni used drugs to escape her own pain and helplessness which traumatized Tupac, who ultimately had to take care of the family who emotionally and mentally abused him as a child. This is another quality of the Pluto/Moon aspect, the child taking care of their parents. A lot of black American children have this aspect in their natal charts for reasons I’ll discuss at a later date. 

When there are tense aspects between the moon and pluto, including the conjunction, the relationship between mother and child is complicated, warped, codependent, dysfunctional and sometimes abusive. In many cases, the child is forced to grow up quickly because the mother does not have the capacity, desire or the wherewithal to properly nurture or care for their child, or in some cases the mother becomes very controlling, which emotionally cripples the child into codependency and insecurity, to the point where they don’t feel free to live their lives as they choose. With this aspect, the child’s identity is defined by the mother’s trauma, so sometimes the child feels the need to rescue the mother from the burdens of motherhood by being the perfect child, a protector and a provider. The roles become reversed.

The mother is supposed to be the first provider, protector and nurturer of the child, but when there are aspects to Pluto, this role is obstructed or obstructive to the child’s individuality in some way. Like Tupac, Afeni also had Uranus aspecting her moon. Uranus aspecting the moon can cause mental and emotional instability, a broken home, or a mentally or emotionally unstable mother which also rattles the child’s foundation. Afeni Shakur experienced a lot of childhood trauma and abuse that affected her self esteem and her disposition towards men including her son. Because of her own experiences, her relationship with Tupac was not traditional, conventional, warm, close, or nurturing because Uranus is a planet that causes irritation when weighed by responsibilities and obligations to others. Uranus wants to be unfettered and free to explore, create, experience. Afeni had Pluto in the 8th house from her Sun which is why she dealt with so much trauma, tragedy and betrayal in her life, Pac appears to have an 8th house Sun which explains why these themes were pervasive in his life as well.

Tupac had an Aries Moon, which again indicates that his mother was a free spirit, fierce, independent, strong, brave, resilient, but not very nurturing and warm in the traditional senase. This is the placement of a feminist, a nationalist or a powerful matriarch who can be just as protective as she is destructive.  Moon in Aries individuals are more inclined to put their own needs first before they consider the needs of others, which isn’t necessarily a bad or good thing, but during the early stages of development, children require a lot of attention and care that may cause some resentment in these natives, especially if they don’t have any help from the child’s father or family. At the same time, a mother needs to take care of herself so that she can take care of her child. As with everything there has to be a balance.

To further expound on Pluto and Uranus opposing the Moon, Tupac was a child of two black panther party members which also shows a complicated relationship with one’s mother country. The Black Panther Party was a political activist group that fought to empower the black community through education, politics, and grassroots community support. The U.S. government saw the BPP as a threat to the political and socioeconomic caste system that had been created to keep blacks as a permanent underclass so they employed the FBI, CIA and local police departments to destroy the BPP by any means necessary including murder, drug trafficking, using informants to sabotage relationships, etc. Tupac’s parents and many other black people of that generation, what we call Boomers today, were deliberately economically disenfranchised as a result of their political beliefs. Many struggled with poverty and joblessness throughout their lives as a result and we can see this with the Saturn in Taurus placement in Tupac’s chart.

If you are dating or in a relationship, please check to see if your partner has challenging moon/pluto, moon/mars, moon/saturn or moon/chiron aspects in their chart because more than likely your relationship with them will be unstable, miserable, emotionally detached, painful, abusive, and probably short lived; a lot of natives with this aspect have a difficult relationship with their own feelings because they were not given permission to be vulnerable, to express pain or need, and these people can be either too need or codependent or they will treat you like you’re easily disposable. Only with age, time, and reflection can these emotional issues be resolved.

Venus: Romance, art, beauty, women, money, refinement, harmony

Venus in Gemini 5°1’ conjunct Saturn in Taurus at 29’45’

Venus is the planet of beauty, women, femininity, art, creativity, valuables, self-esteem, music, love, romance, ritual, integration and harmony.

With the Sun and Venus in Gemini in the 6th house, Tupac was someone who enjoyed work immensely because it was his was of expressing his creativity and artistic abilities. 

Venus in Gemini people are very charming, sociable, excellent communicators, and have a natural curiosity about the opposite sex. This placement is not the most faithful or committed; Tupac’s father admitted that he was also having sex with multiple women at the time Tupac was conceived. He ended up marrying another woman after Afeni got pregnant which I’m sure didn’t make her too happy. Tupac’s Venus conjuncts Saturn the planet of responsibility, lessons and restrictions. From a young age, Tupac felt responsible for taking care of his family, and this is something that he took very seriously for the rest of his life.  Jasmine Guy, who was a friend of Tupac and Afeni stated that she was appalled by how many people in Pac’s family were financially dependent on him and at the time he wasn’t even 22 years old. Venus in Saturn people sometimes feel like they have to buy people’s love and considering how harsh his family was towards him while he was growing up, I wouldn’t be surprised if Pac felt he had to take care of everyone for them to finally respect him. I believe this got him caught up with Suge Knight as well..Suge was supposedly responsible for getting Pac out of jail and in exchange, he felt he owed his life and his resources to Suge Knight who is a mentally disturbed individual. Tupac attracted weirdos and users throughout his life, with the Pluto moon opposition with his mother, there’s a possibility that she felt like she owned him and he owed her for being born. Pac had a lot of respect and deference for his mother who was an intelligent brave woman, but she was also broken and resented her son as evidenced by the Sun square Moon combination between mother and son.

Afeni’s Sun in Capricorn squared Pac’s moon in Aries and her Moon in Virgo squared his Sun in Gemini. Afeni also had Mars in Capricorn which squared Pac’s moon, this is an emotionally, verbally, and/or physically abusive aspect. They did not understand each other but they innately understood why there was a disconnect which allowed them to learn a lot from each other while he was alive. Pac’s Pluto in Virgo is conjunct with his mother’s Moon, he was very protective of her but also had a lot of hidden anger and resentment towards her which he tried to reconcile by seeking her approval.

It’s not a coincidence that Afeni has a natal Uranus square moon aspect, and Pac has a natal Uranus opposite moon aspect which again indicates that his mother and his home were unpredictable and unstable. Afeni was hard to please, very independent, resilient, idealistic, unrealistic, intelligent yet very impressionable and easily deceived or mislead by her own projections and fantasies which also made her susceptible to escapism through drugs. Interestingly enough, Pac also sought to escape from his reality through music…drugs and music are both significations of Neptune which is the higher octave of Venus. Sometimes I wonder if Afeni rejected her son because his father chose another woman over her, not because she didn’t love her child but because she felt like she was unlovable for the reasons Pac’s father chose not to marry her eventhough she was pregnant

Saturn: Father, discipline, loss, responsibility, structure, lessons, karma

Saturn in Taurus 29deg51

Tupac has Saturn in Taurus at 29deg51 minutes which is a very karmic placement. He was born to end a cycle of generational poverty and powerlessness, but he essentially had to sacrifice himself to do it. Saturn represents our lessons, responsibilities, and duties, that which we must do to evolve spiritually. Taurus is the sign of resources, money, ownership, stability, the things that we value, it is also ruled by Venus which is  in conjunction with Tupac’s Saturn.

So when we have Saturn conjunct Venus this is someone who has to work hard for everything they want, and then they have to be prudent and responsible to maintain and grow that which has been acquired through hard work and sacrifice. In many cases, Saturn in Taurus people have to use their resources to take care of others, the opposite sign of Taurus is Scorpio which represents other people’s resources, energy, money, sexual potency. Venus represents love, beauty, women, the arts, ritual, money, in some ways Tupac may have felt like he had to buy love or heavy responsibilities and burdens were put on him by the women in his life, starting with his mother. He was also betrayed by women and ended up in prison,

Venus is aspected by both Saturn and Neptune which can represent imprisonment. Saturn deals with the deprivation of one’s freedom to pay off karmic debts and Neptune deals with the isolation and loneliness of imprisonment that often leads to wisdom and enlightenment. At one point, Tupac went to prison for a rape charge, and because Neptune is aspecting Venus, I would not be surprised if some element of deception was involved in that situation, which would explain why Tupac was so angry and pretty much went rogue afterwards. Tupac has Mars trine his Sun square Jupiter, so he was far from a coward just like his activist parents, and he enjoyed fighting even when there wasn’t a need to. This is further evidenced by his Mars in Aquarius placement. 

Mars: The Sh*t Starter, war, danger, death, violence, courage, competition

Mars in Aquarius (this placement is discussed more in-depth in part 2)

Mars is the planet of war, conflict, violence, and competition and it’s in the sign of friendships, groups, associations, and organizations.  Tupac became a member of the blood gang just as his parents were members of the Black Panther Party. Ironically, some people say that the bloods and crips were offshoots of the Black Panther Party and they were created by FBI and NYPD to destroy the community. So Pac’s parents were in the black panther’s gang and Pac ended up joining the Bloods, but Pac has Saturn in Taurus which squares his Mars in Aquarius; his involvement in Gangs would make him learn some very important lessons about controlling his temper, being careful with who you associate with, not allowing others to control your resources, and not repeating the same mistakes. Because Saturn is conjunct Venus, money and women taught him some very hard lessons about

Neptune: Escapism, imagination, creativity, self-destruction, deception

Neptune in Sagittarius

When we deal with themes of betrayal and deception we have to look at Neptune and even Saturn to an extent, because sometimes Saturn makes us pay for things we didn’t buy and don’t benefit from. Tupac had Neptune in Sagittarius opposing Venus and Saturn. When Saturn opposes, conjuncts or squares Neptune, at some point in the native’s life, all of their hopes, dreams, fantasies and illusions are destroyed by the hard reality that human beings are flawed, selfish, manipulative and deceptive. When Saturn gets involved, your faith is tested and in many cases it’s destroyed, which can turn a person bitter, angry, and self-destructive. Afeni faced the same disillusionment about the Black Panther Party, the men she dealt with, extreme poverty, homelessness and self-esteem issues that caused her to emotionally and mentally abuse her son.

People with Neptune opposite Venus tend to have addictive personalities that are fueled by their idealism, wishful thinking and fantasies that have no basis in reality. They are easily deceived by women or manipulated into giving everything they have to appease others. With the Saturn conjunction, even after everything is given the person has to face the cold hard reality that they were just a tool, an object, a utility, something to be used. Saturn conjunct Venus blocks unconditional love, and this is something Pac was desperate for because of his relationship with his mother. Venus opposite Neptune makes someone believe that love should be free, unfettered, unconditional; this is the person that will give you the shirt off their back, however, the Saturn conjunct makes this native pay a heavy price and learn some excruciating lessons for their delusions because the people who are okay with taking everything from you are not the people who you should love unconditionally. The job that requires all of your time and energy is not the kind of job that truly values you regardless of how much money you make. As a side note, after I wrote this analysis I found out that Tupac had a song called Unconditional Love. Pac had unconditional love for the common man and was willing to put his life in danger to protect people he didn’t even know or people who damn sure didn’t deserve it. Pac’s Neptune Venus opposition made him too trusting of women and too liberal with his money and these people would betray him as Saturn is in the 12th from his Sun. Saturn conjunct Venus can cause crushing poverty, but Pac was able to use his Neptunian gifts to escape that curse and create a legacy and generational wealth for his family.

Pac’s fiery Neptune and Moon give him a dreamy, beautiful, almost feminine appearance…in spite of his cursing, bad temper, the violent tendencies he was seen as a “beautiful” alpha man who had thousands of women willing to spend the night with him, fashion labels wanted him to model their clothes, movie directors wanted him in their films. Regardless of the earrings and the nose ring he wore he exuded masculinity which can be credited to his Mars trine Sun aspect, and again Mars may be conjunct his ascendant which makes someone exude sexual energy regardless of how they look. Pluto square the Sun can also make someone very magnetic and sexually appealing without even trying because they exude power, mystery, fearlessness and primal passion.

Closing

This concludes part one of Tupac’s chart delineation. Part 2 will focus on how his Mars in Aquarius placement brought Tupac many dangerous friends and enemies.