Paris Mural Honors American Entertainer
By Alex Miller
On Saturday, 19 July 2025, a new mural was unveiled in Paris, in memory of Jazz-era American ex-pat Josephine Baker, a black dancer, singer and actress who fled to Paris from the US in the 1920s to escape racism, segregation and prejudice in her career. She became the darling of the pre-War Paris scene, and even did a bit of Mata Hari as a spy for the Nazi occupation resistance. Baker also became a civil rights activist, returning to the US to march with Martin Luther King Jr in the ‘60s. The mural in her honor, created by urban artist FKDL, is to mark the fiftieth anniversary of her passing in the City of Light.
The Sun (27 Cancer) opposed (180 degrees) Pluto (2 Aquarius) and conjoined asteroid Murali (25 Cancer, for “mural”) pulls focus (Sun) to wall art (Murali) commemorating someone deceased (Pluto). Just who this might be is made clearer with a T-Square pattern (two or more points opposed each other, both squared (90 degrees) a third point) from Pluto to asteroids Baker (6 Scorpio) and Singer (9 Taurus), identifying chanteuse (Singer) Josephine Baker (Baker) as the honoree.
Jupiter (8 Cancer) forms a second T-Square with a pairing of Saturn and Neptune (1 & 2 Aries) and asteroid Memoria (6 Libra), denoting someone famous (Jupiter) and musical (Neptune, also adding a dash of espionage to the mix) who is memorialized (Memoria) for her career accomplishments (Saturn). An opposition from Venus (16 Gemini) to asteroid Josephina (14 Sagittarius) establishes the artwork (Venus) to honor Baker (Josephina).
Josephine Baker was born Freda Josephine McDonald on 3 June 1906, and these earlier, pre-fame identities also appear active for the unveiling of her mural. Mercury (15 Leo), ruling news, squares asteroid Freda (18 Scorpio), which is embedded at station, giving it additional heft and influence, in a loose T-Square with asteroid Singer, marking one of her many talents. Meanwhile asteroid McDonalda (1 Virgo) conjoins asteroids Actor (11 Virgo) and Terpsichore (6 Virgo), named for the Greek Muse of dance, identifying her other gifts. This triple threat is also active in her birth chart, with asteroid Singer (14 Gemini) conjunct her Sun (12 Gemini); asteroid Actor (23 Leo) conjunct her Ascendant (2 Virgo), governing our public image, and squared an exact pairing of asteroids Josephina and McDonalda (both 29 Taurus); and asteroid Terpsichore (0 Sagittarius) conjoined the IC (28 Scorpio), the foundational Angle of the chart, opposing Josephina/McDonalda.
Sources: astrologic data from astro.com and serennu.com
Title Image Credit: Josephine Baker image drawn by Chat GPT
Alex Miller
Alex Miller is a professional writer and astrologer, Editor-in-Chief of ANS, author of The Black Hole Book, detailing deep space points in astrological interpretation, and the forthcoming Heaven on Earth, a comprehensive study of asteroids, both mythic and personal. Alex is a frequent contributor to “The Mountain Astrologer”, “Daykeeper Journal”, and NCGR’s Journals and “Enews Commentary”; his work has also appeared in “Aspects” magazine, “Dell Horoscope”, “Planetwaves”, “Neptune Café” and “Sasstrology.” He is a past president of Philadelphia Astrological Society, and former board member for the Philadelphia Chapter of NCGR. His two decades of chronicling asteroid effects in human affairs can be found at his website, www.alexasteroidastrology.com.
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