It's growing strong- Sweet Caroline in Sport
An astrological analysis of Sweet Caroline's association with sports
Time for a little diversion, into the astrology of a song: Sweet Caroline
Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline was released on 28 May 1969, but it is only in the last 10-20 years that it has become an increasingly ubiquitous sports anthem.
Its first use by the Red Sox is supposedly in 1997 but we don’t have an exact chart for that, or indeed for when it became an official song in 2002, though we can peak at the wider transits.
We do have a date for when it was picked up by an English sports manager. 20 April 2013
.. it was played, for Castleford, in full for the first time after full-back Luke Dorn scored a last-minute, match-winning try against Wigan on March 9, 2014 [i]
It made it to Wembley for the football Euros last year on 29 June 2021- ( interestingly in between the song was given an extra boost during the pandemic by memes on the wording- hands touching hands- aaaaaag, nooooooooooo!) The match commenced at 16.00UTC so would have finished around 17.45utc. This chart is set for then:
Although the time of the original song release is not verified- I have no idea of the process for song release in 1969 and whether it would have effectively been at midnight – and indeed if it was which time zone but I can’t help liking the fact that this chart has Neptune culminating. Neptune plays (no pun intended) a big part in the story of music and its artists. It looks like this one was built to last.
It is an extraordinary chart with the major conjunction of 3 outer planets , Pluto, Uranus and Jupiter-all opposing the Node and sextile Neptune of course 69 was a key year for pop with Woodstock etc., The Moon opposes Venus, perhaps descriptive of the sign – about a sweet woman. Mars, signifier of sports is in a fire sign but isn’t highly accentuated in the chart- its time will come, but not then.
For our sports analysis we are more interested in the progressions and transits of 1997 to 2022 and especially June 2021.
Starting in 1997, we note that Pluto was crossing the Caroline Mars. Sports were being activated.
By 2002 Neptune had crossed the Ascendant axis and was sextile natal Mars and progressed Mars was close to the natal Neptune. An idea had caught hold.
On 20 April 2013, Neptune was sextile the progressed MC and on that day we see there was an exact Mars Sun conjunction quincunx the Caroline Mars and its progressed Uranus. Someone quite literally sees the competitive advantage and takes it overseas…..
On 9 March 2014, the Neptune sextile remains in place but now Uranus is trine the Caroline Mars (and not far from the progressed Ascendant) as well. The progressed Moon is harnessing the Moon, Venus opposition and Pluto. It is really taking off.
We can see the impact of the pandemic as the Pluto conjunction in Capricorn picks up the big conjunction and Neptune as well as the Moon – Venus opposition in the Caroline natal chart. And the progressed Sun- Mercury also picks up these degrees. Astrology works on so many levels doesn’t it?!
Finally let us look at that June 29 2021 chart. We can look to transiting Neptune first and it’s on the North node. Destiny fulfilled, it seems.
Of course Pluto remains in orb of the natal conjunction and it’s sextile to its Neptune as does the progressed Sun.
Assuming a valid birth time, we can see Venus is on the Descendant on June 29. It is notable, with Venus on the Descendant, that when England fans sang Sweet Caroline on that day, German fans stayed and sang too. That’s Venus at her best.
The Moon is square the Caroline progressed Venus as well echoing the natal opposition and the transiting Moon is also sextile transiting Uranus – perfect for a sudden public moment. Indeed there is loads happening in this chart and we don’t need to list it all.
Because, best of all, Mars at 11 Leo is trine the Caroline Mars. Waiting for its moment, as I suggested, you see! That is quite extraordinary isn’t it? Indeed it is quite possible that 11 degrees Sag was rising rather than six when the singing happened. That would be lovely but perhaps too overwhelming…….
Finally note that over this summer the Caroline progressed Uranus Jupiter conjunction will perfect and be activated by the progressed Moon. In a year when the progressed Ascendant reaches Venus and Saturn stations sextile it (among other aspects). Look out for more news on our Sweet Caroline then….
OPTIMESIA
