I still remember that morning of a day off. Everyone at the table. Pancakes—mmm… And a wonderful program about seas, oceans, exploration… And that tall man… Jacques-Yves Cousteau, tireless explorer of the World Ocean, photographer, filmmaker, inventor.
His birth: June 11, 1910, Bordeaux, France. His entire interest lay in water, the underwater world, constant sea voyages, and love for photography—this is naturally indicated by Neptune in the chart. And the conjunction of Neptune with Mars can be in the 10th house, since after all, the main meaning of his life, his passion was the sea, and studying and scientific work in this field were its consequence. Moreover, he was an environmentalist, a protector of nature, and held marine life in great reverence. If we leave Pisces as the ruler of the 10th house and the Moon in this case in the 11th house, and also in Leo, we can conclude that his work was always connected with people, with loved ones. Teamwork fully corresponded to this requirement. It is no secret that on a ship everyone lives as one family. Probably, Cousteau was somewhat like a mother to his team, since it is the Moon. Such a ruler may indicate that he wanted to show mercy, compassion, and care. He truly cared deeply for the underwater world. And since humans often cause harm, Cousteau became the founder of organizations for the protection of the underwater world and social societies.
Despite the fact that his father was a lawyer and the family moved frequently, what I remember most is that Cousteau often had to live in state institutions—boarding schools, then military academies. This requirement is met by Capricorn at the IC. Strictness and discipline were the priorities in his family and home.
And constant life in cramped, confined ship cabins cannot be called comfortable. It turns out that a strong Saturn in the chart, as the ruler of the 4th house and family, enabled him to endure an ascetic lifestyle, cold family relationships, or to bear responsibility as a heavy burden, and on the other hand, the fear of losing it. Uranus in the same 4th house may indicate an unusual home environment, a love for unconventional, ultra-fashionable interior decorations. Or it may bring many friends and constant presence within the home walls. Cousteau was quite a popular figure. Probably, the time he spent at home was filled with communication. In any case, Uranus does not allow Saturn to harden. Despite traditional, strict views on family, this man did not reject novelty, was ready to consider other options, to change, to renew.
Cousteau was strongly drawn to aviation at one time. The ability to understand any mechanisms well is given by the trine between Uranus and Mercury. And the presence of the Lunar Node gave a sense of calling, a call of fate. But in the chart, there is a very traumatic aspect between Uranus and Mars—injuries, accidents, and other troubles. Indeed, this is what happened to Cousteau. He was involved in a terrible car accident and suffered severe injuries. As a man, his efficiency denied risk, air, contradiction, electricity, danger, since Mars is in opposition to Uranus and is not in the best condition. And this is connected with Neptune by a conjunction with an orb of 8 degrees, meaning interaction with water was natural and smooth. The trine between Uranus and Mercury still strongly lost in his chart. He conducted research, scientific, and inventive activities. One invention—the aqualung—is worth a lot.
As for the Sun, although it is peregrine, it still has a fairly close aspect with Pluto. This indicates good tissue regeneration and increased survival. Perhaps it was largely thanks to this aspect that Cousteau was able to survive and recover after that severe accident.
I long hesitated over where to place Saturn and finally left it in the 8th house. Cousteau likely received good support from strangers, including financial. For example, subsidies, loans, sponsorship… And considering that the 8th house is in Taurus and Venus is there, he managed these funds skillfully. But toward the end of his life, the state had some claims against him. Allegedly, he hid something, evaded taxes. With Saturn (reluctance to part with one’s own) and Venus (love for other people’s money), this may be true. As a result, there was even a confiscation of property later. Thus, Saturn, as the ruler of the 4th house, played out—something of yours was taken away, something that did not belong to you.
As for Cousteau’s main true tasks, of course, it is the Sun in the 9th house. He wanted to be a knowledgeable, respected person. This aspiration to create a certain system, to systematize knowledge. And the sign of Gemini gave us a researcher who doubts, seeks, who studied not just a narrow topic (the behavior of sea lions) but a broad spectrum of underwater life. And the Lunar Node with Mercury—the main task was the dissemination of information, communication, speech, thought, contact. And Mercury, in the best way, justified its 8th-house position: Cousteau unraveled MYSTERIES! He penetrated the unknown, the secret, conducted investigations. No one else has revealed—here it is, the true face of the 8th house.
So the birth time can be set between 12:50 and 13:00.
It remains to verify the time by dates. The date of marriage is 1937. The birth of the first son in 1938, the second on December 30, 1940. The birth time at 13:00 shows the first two dates quite well. The birth of the second son is less accurate. Although Cousteau was already in 1941 at the time of the second son’s birth. In my opinion, children are better reflected in 1939 and 1941. Although I could not find the exact date of the first son’s birth.
Date of death. Cousteau died on June 25, 1997, at the age of 87. We can observe a wonderful solar return that year—many trines, a strong, stable Sun. But his life, his problems were connected with the 8th house—the house of illness and death. It is ruled by Venus. That year, we see it peregrine. The transiting Venuses are in sextile to each other. The natal Venus is in a square to Uranus, the transiting one—to Jupiter.
After all, it is Venus that governs the birth and death of a person. It allows entry into life and ends it. Venus is associated with veins, Jupiter with the circulatory system. Uranus brings sudden leaps. Probably, it was pressure, or a spasm, or something related to the vascular system that caused the sudden (Uranus) death of such a person.
But when you look at such a beautiful horoscope, you realize that death is not the end—it is only the beginning.
