"At Studio 54, people waiting at the door/Can't get in - just can't win/This is New York by night, this is New York by night/So get ready for the time of your life..."~ Dennis Parker, "New York by Night"
| Astrology has boogied a long way since the Days of Disco. So let's hearken back to those days, back when life was as simple as pouring yourself into designer jeans and heading out the door to dance the night away. Your author still has a mint pair of Sergios, with the little Taurus bull symbol on the pocket, and also danced on the speakers of Studio 54 (second opening in 1985) back in my college days in Manhattan. My suitemate was one of New York's top college bodybuilders, winning the title of Mr. Hofstra with some very ostentatious posedowns. He was a "carouser" at Studio54, dancing topless on the speakers, making sure people were having fun, and handing out passes for other events. It was still decadent like the first opening, yet some of the original magic was gone, as we shall now see astrologically.The following is an analysis of the birthchart of Studio 54. When this popular nightclub opened it's doors on April 26, 1977 at 10:30 pm, five planets were retrograde at the time: Mercury, Venus, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. How did this affect the success of Studio 54, hereinafter also called the Club? We shall now find out... "At Studio 54, people waiting at the door/Can't get in - just can't win/This is New York by night, this is New York by night/So get ready for the time of your life..."~ Dennis Parker, "New York by Night" "Hustling at the door/To get into Studio 54/Liza dancing on the floor/And Bianca walking through the door..."~ Amanda Lear, "Fashion Pack"  Rollergirl got a Brand New Key! Just click and see!  www.astrolabe.com" />  Ascendant at 09 Degrees Sagittarius - Studio 54 had the appearance (Ascendant) of being open, frank, outgoing and honest. It was the best, liveliest disco in the world. At times, like when one was not on the guest list, the Club could, true to it's Sagittarius Ascendant, be blunt and quite indiscreet. Appreciates living in a straightforward and simple manner -- dislikes social niceties and considers them to be hindrances to real communication. The Club said that no one could get in unless they were on the list. It had no problems bouncing people who didn't fit in. The Club appeared (Ascendant) to have lots and lots of energy and tended to become quite restless if it feel confined. It demanded the freedom to do as it chose. Self-directed, abundant energy, and attracted to physical exercise or to those forms of sport which can help burn off some of that excess energy. Very gregarious, loves to socialize -- innate enthusiasm livens up any gathering. Darryl Martinie, the Cosmic Muffin, says this about the Sagittarius Ascendant: This is one of the "Good Time Charlie" Ascendants, but the most consistent hallmark is the Obsession with Freedom.Doesn't want to be forced to sit still. Being on the go is more important than The Destination. And this is not the person who is punctual, for Sagittarius Rising will often book a heavy schedule and leave at the Last Minute for everything.There is a thrill in "tempting the clock." Don't be shocked if this type is not surprised at your anger for being kept waiting. Here is the jovial, party person who likes to see everyone have a good time. Sun at 06 Degrees Taurus in the 5th house - Patient, slow moving and careful - love to prolong and savor enjoyable times. Appreciate and need comfort, ease and warm surroundings. Tendency to become placid and self-satisfied and to overeat (especially sweets, such as nose-candy). Requires strenuous situations in order to grow and mature properly, even though it tries to avoid them. Affectionate, even-tempered and slow to anger -- when you do become emotionally upset, you are also slow to forgive and time must pass before your calm returns. Demands real results from any situation. Very artistic. An earthy, seductive, and physical sexiness. The Club made a ton (Taurus) of money (Taurus).  Moon at 12 Degrees Leo in the 9th house - Always wants to be proud and will never do anything to look bad. The Club was all image, all the time. People considered the Club the modern equivalent of making an appearance at royal court. Moon in Leo needs the respect and admiration of others and enjoys attracting attention. Everything tends to be self-emphasized and self-exaggerated. Need for love, affection and reassurance. A tendency toward vanity, loves to show off. Loves games and sports as a matter of fact, would usually rather play than work. Tendency to be snobbish and uppity. "The essence of this degree is pure pleasure." ~ Esther Leinbach, Degrees of the ZodiacThe Club was a big attraction for the image-conscious, a place to preen, vogue, and mix with the "royalty" (Leo) and the beautiful people (Leo). Some of the regular guests at Studio 54 were people like Andy Warhol, the designer Halston, Diana Ross, Liza Minelli and lots and lots of others. Other people seen at the Club: Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Jackson, Brooke Shields, Warren Beatty, Calvin Klein, Bianca & Mick Jagger, Salvador Dali, Madonna and Elton John.  Mercury Retrograde at 12 Degrees Taurus in the 5th house - A slow and careful thinker. Everything must be practical and useful in order to merit your attention. Cautious and conservative, very slow to change opinions. More apt to respond to an appeal to feelings than to an appeal to logic or reason. Mercury was retrograde in Taurus, so the slower response mechanism of Taurus was even more delayed in communications. No doubt there was a lot of misunderstood conversations there, much shouting above the pumping music. The Club also opened a half hour late on its opening night. Mercury Retrograde is not good energy for opening a nightclub, nor for beginning any new business venture in general. This planet undermined otherwise decent Rising and Moon Sign placement for a nightclub.People were still working in the club when some of the invited people started gathering outside the club. There weren't many people entertaining at this "early" hour, but within a couple of hours the place was crowded and outside the doors it was chaos. The clubgoers stood outside and waited...like a herd of grazing bulls. Venus at 08 Degrees Aries in the 5th house - Very affectionate but hates to be tied down. More than willing to be the aggressor in initiating new relationships. Once you have set your sights on someone, you tend to pursue him or her ardently and passionately. But you do demand your own way in a relationship. Try to give in to your partner's needs and desires once in a while. Venus was also Retrograde on opening night. Not a "true" (retrograde) view of "beauty" (Venus). Were the beautiful people truly beautiful? No, they were cokeheads and boozehounds and came in droves (Aries) to party (5th house) to pretend (Mars in Pisces) that they were beautiful (Venus). Like Venus in Aries, that can burn out quickly, as Studio 54 surely did...and those who went there burned out too.The general influence is one of undirected energy. ~ Esther Leinbach  Mars at 29 Degrees Pisces in the 5th house - Very sensitive and vulnerable, difficult to assert yourself. Gets the most satisfaction by giving to others and expecting nothing in return. Beware of a tendency to want always to work behind the scenes or to become overly deceptive by doing things behind others' backs. He is a dreamer whose dreams come to naught. ~ Esther Leinbach  The issue of drugs (Pisces)- Almost as famous as the "54" logo was a painting hanging on the wall in the club of the "Man in the Moon" inhaling cocaine from a silver spoon. Unfortunately inhaling coke and using other drugs was quite common in the club, but this wasn't something special for Studio 54. At this time drug abuse was kind of common in all clubs. Drug use was prevalent back then. Probably all the money and all the Club's famous and regular guests attracted people selling drugs. At any rate, the effect of Mars in Pisces created a drive (Mars) to use (Mars) drugs (Pisces). Jupiter at 04 Degrees Gemini in the 6th house - Logical, detached, objective view of most things. The ability to grasp abstractions and to deal successfully with the larger issues of life. Ability to satisfy (Jupiter) and to lend expansiveness to (Jupiter) many people (Gemini), and make them feel good about were doing, not even noticing the impact on their own health (6th) Invited a lot of people (Gemini). As time got closer and closer to the opening night, some 5000 invitations were sent out and people were working day and night to get the place ready in time.Saturn at 10 Degrees Leo in 8th house - Extremely self-reliant, high standards of conduct and decorum, and expect others to be that way, too. Prefer solitude rather than associating with those who might besmirch the reputation. There was a very strict code to get in...be very beautiful and radiant(Leo), or get sent home and sulk (Saturn). There was actually a VIP entrance on the back side of the club, from 53rd Street. This was the entrance where the staff and the true VIP's got in.   ALL OUTER PLANETS WERE RETROGRADEand all were in the signs Libra, Scorpio, and Sagittarius. "Fall" energy in the Spring.  Uranus Rx at 09 Degrees Scorpio in 11th house- You, and your peer group, demand to confront life at its deepest and most meaningful levels. Very compulsive and obsessive in your approach to everything, you will avoid anything that is casual or superficial, especially when it comes to relationships. Seeks out and explore new methods of healing as well as different ways to deal with deep-seated emotional problems. Neptune Rx at 15 Degrees Sagittarius in 1st house - Entire generation is heavily involved in investigating and idealizing foreign and exotic intellectual systems and religious philosophies. The most extreme ideals will be pursued with gusto. The forefront of humanitarian attempts to improve the lot of those who are in need of assistance. Comfortable with the concept of the "global village." This energy clouded patrons views of themselves and their fellow "villagers", and masked these cluded views in free-ranging, freedom-loving, drug-soaked good times. Pluto Rx at 12 Degrees Libra in 10th house - For your entire generation, this is a time of radical changes in society's attitude toward marriage and interpersonal relationships. There is a general fear and awe at the power inherent in making emotional or contractual commitments - they will not be entered into lightly. They will not be entered in at all! This energy further contributed to the confusion of the times (retrograde), which caused people to believe that the party and disco scene was the best way to live. Everyone was in it together (Libra)...if/once you got in, you felt transformed (Pluto), and like an equal (Libra) to the other beautiful (Libra) people in the Club.   Aspects Studio 54 was born with an afflicted Sun and a heavily afflicted Moon, the former receiving four challenging aspects with other planets, and the latter receiving a total of nine aspects, seven of which involved other planets. Here are a sample of some of the aspects which the Club had when it first opened its doors. These are some of the more obvious energies which Studio 54 displayed during its heyday. The number which follows the aspect indicates the "orb of aspect", that is, the closeness and relative strength of the aspect. On a scale of 1 to 10, the lower the number and the closer it is to 0.00, the stronger the energy.  Venus in Leo Trine Ascendant in Sagittarius 1.34The ability to create a pleasing impression, and generally you comport yourself diplomatically and with all the social graces. As the ability to win the affections and confidence of others is one of your greatest talents, would do well dealing with people in one form or another in professional life. Aesthetic issues are also of great importance. Two-degree Moon-Saturn Conjunction in Leo, receiving nine aspects-Dutiful and very motivated to live up to your commitments to society. Can function effectively as a buffer between the public and the authorities. A special talent for working with people who have emotional problems or very difficult life circumstances. Can evoke considerable respect from others. This is the general energy that is represented by a Moon-Saturn Conjunction. Add to this a filter of energy from every single planet, and a 1� (midpoint) Trine to the Ascendant, and a 4� (midpoint) Trine to Neptune, three squares, a semisquare, another trine, two sextiles, and a conjunction, and it becomes clear that one way or another, this Moon-Saturn conjunction was going to be "busy". Moon in Leo Square Mercury in Taurus 0.03Great persuasive talents. Can use these communicative talents to sway the feelings of the people around you. You know how to tune in to the mood of the crowd and have an instinctive talent for saying (or for the D.J. playing) the right thing. Need to be passionately engaged in your work, and function best in a role which gives you human contact. Work better with people than with things. Judgments are easily swayed by feelings. Easy to read, and will often stumble verbally, when you encounter conflict. Success in a career in which you utilized your talent for listening and "speaking to people." Moon in Leo Square Uranus in Scorpio 2.34Something of a gypsy; can adjust to extremely unusual professional environments, the more exotic the better. Well-suited to working with people who are alienated from society in some way, especially if they come from a different culture. On the other hand you function very badly in a conventional place of work, where the same functions have to be performed day in, day out. A very low threshold for boredom; thus, suited to a job which brings exciting changes and variation during the course of the day - preferably meeting people. An advanced intuition and very sensitive antenna. Grand Trine in Fire:Venus 8 Ar 15 Moon/Saturn 11 Le 19 (midpoint) Neptune 15 Sg 43As if there was any question, the presence of this loose Fire Grand Trine provides more evidence of Studio 54's destiny as an "white-hot" place to be. Well-Aspected Neptune Rising in the First House - The first house signifies how others see us, and to have Neptune there, well-aspected (two trines and a sextile) often bestows musical talents, yet can also create a magnetic air of mystery. Studio 54 was all that, and thus a perfect symbol of the free-ranging times (Neptune in Sagittarius) which represented a generation motivated by an obsession with freedom, a search for the eternal truth, and where going out to clubs and having a good time, a very Sagittarian thing, was king. People saw the Club as a sign of the times, and were moths to its flame. Yet Neptune confounds perception, and when especially well-aspected and Rising in the first house, six degrees from a "Good Time Charlie" Ascendant, this made its powers of illusion and deception even more powerful. People saw Studio 54 as Shangri-La; indeed, it was a veritable Heaven on Earth. And who wouldn't "line up to get in" to Heaven? Venus in Aries Sextile Jupiter in Gemini 3.23Excellent aesthetic judgement, and strong personal values and convictions. Suited to any profession which can make use of your ability to evaluate and compare - especially if this is connected to cultural or artistic projects. A great ability to impress others with your charm and insight, especially in a situation that will allow the opportunity to meet and influence people. Can deal with cultural issues or artistic objects, has a diplomatic talent, and a great sense of style. Success often comes easily. May thrive in the company of women, and have their professional support. Normally lucky, and a great deal of money can flow through your hands. How fast it flows is another question altogether. Warm personality and optimistic view of the future are its greatest assets. Afflicted Mercury in Taurus (Retrograde)Not only was Mercury Retrograde when Studio 54 opened its doors, generally considered a poor time to open a new business, yet Mercury received a total of six challenging aspects:Conjunct Sun 5.40 Square Moon 0.03 Square Saturn 2.13 Opposite Uranus 2.31 Quincunx Pluto 0.15 Sesquisquare MC 0.57Mercury, when in a slow-responding sign (Taurus), and retrograde, and then afflicted, represented energy which could not communicate clearly at all. Yet does a club so immensly popular for other reasons really need to be concerned with an advertising budget and communicating clearly? It simply needs to open the doors. The Club's inability to communicate clearly was taken care of by word-of-mouth, and by writers and singers and actors and millions who "communicated" for it. Studio simply needed to open its doors, spin music, and keep the liquor flowing. What follows is the chart for the first closing of Studio 54, on March 5, 1980. See if you can notice some of the factors which made its closing on this day to be particularly memorable. Perhaps a Sun-Mercury Conjunction in Pisces, opposite Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn in Virgo? What else? |
