Enrico Berlinguer, an astrological portrait of Ciro Discepolo.
Published in 1978 in the monthly magazine ASTRA and then, the following year, in the book “Gli Astri del Successo” (The Stars of Success), published by Armenia Editore, Milan.
A few years ago, Enrico Berlinguer’s “psychogram” (i.e., a report card of psychological values) was published in a local magazine with the following attributes: protection of children 95%; importance of public role 90%; competition 90%; ambition 85%; dynamism 55%; need for security 55%; erotic attraction 53%; sociability 48%; religiosity 25%; erotic-romantic interests 19%.
The percentages shown above represent the mathematical results of a survey conducted by Infratest Italiana S.p.A. of Milan with the assistance of psychologist Ferenc Cs. Schuch and obtained through more than 1,500 interviews with people selected, using statistical criteria, from various social classes and places in Italy. The resulting human image of the secretary of the Italian Communist Party is, so to speak, a portrait taken with a telephoto lens, in the sense that those who contributed to its creation did so from afar (or rather, from the “outside”) and with the cold lack of emotional involvement that a long focal length lens imposes.
The similar attempts to focus on the character by all the journalists and writers who have attempted it thus far appear to be of the same nature, such as Alberto Ongaro (in “L’Europeo”), Enrico Nassi (in “Mondo” number 49 of 1975), Massimo Donelli (in “Corriere d’Informazione” 11/5/1976), Antonio Spinosa (in “Corriere d’Informazione” 1969), Anna Maria Mori (in “Annabella” 39 of 1975); Vittorio Gorresio («Berlinguer» – Feltrinelli Editore), Carlo Quintavalle, etc.
The common denominator of these short and long biographies (that of V. Gorresio) is the constant interspersing of phrases like “it is said that,” “it would seem that,” “it has been reported that,” that is, the almost total lack of direct information about the person in question and the reference to more or less official and accredited external sources such as close relatives, friends, acquaintances, or, at worst, “rumours from Guardiola.”
Unlike Andreotti, who is rather reluctant to grant interviews about himself, Enrico Berlinguer willingly lends himself to them but, much to the dismay of his interlocutors, always manages to avoid the most difficult questions (or those he deems such) and to say the bare minimum about himself, his ideas, his relationships with friends, his party comrades, and his family.
We have some illuminating examples in this regard. On February 13, 1969, in Bologna, American journalist Robert Doty, exasperated by his evasive answers to questions about his predictions about the outcome of the 12th PCI Congress and his candidacy for deputy secretary of the party, provoked Berlinguer by asking if he could at least tell him how old he was. Berlinguer, impassive, replied: “I believe that by contacting the Party Press Office, you can obtain a biography of me, including any personal details you wish to know.”
On another occasion, when Vittorio Gorresio asked him for predictions about the presidential election in December 1971, Berlinguer replied: “I can’t make predictions.” To the other’s reply, “But you could give me your opinion,” he added: “I don’t like simplifications.”
Because of his stubborn refusal to respond, his party colleague Pajetta, who wrote the funniest jokes about him, nicknamed him the “Sardinian-mute,” and Enrico Nassi, not without malice and allusion, gave him the book “The Mute Man of Gallura.”
If Enrico Berlinguer cannot be called a great talker, it must be acknowledged that he was an extremely good listener, never interrupting and paying close attention to the words of other conversationalists, as was evident in every Political Tribune the PCI leader attended.
This aspect of his character, like others, is decipherable in his birth chart, drawn for the place and time of his birth: Sassari, 3:00 a.m., May 25, 1922.
And it is precisely through the horoscope that we can discover truths about his personality, truths that could not otherwise be revealed (except through in-depth analysis). Let’s try to sketch a profile of the character based solely on his horoscope.
As can be seen from the chart, Enrico Berlinguer is a Gemini with Aries Ascendant and a Taurus Moon. We agree with our excellent colleague Denise Madin Gentili who, commenting on the same topic in “l’astrologue,” identified Saturn as a key element of the horoscope. It is in conjunction with Jupiter, ruler of the sign in which it is the lord of the Ascendant, square to Mercury, ruler of the Sun sign, square to Venus, ruler of Libra, where it is located, and trine to the Sun.
So, Saturn is undoubtedly dominant, but on what basis?
Especially on a “Taurus” basis, given that the Sun is in the second House (co-significant with Taurus), the Ascendant extends across almost the entire sign of Taurus, and, most importantly, the Moon is, in the first House, in this same sign.
If we combine the dominant Saturn and the Taurus values, and add the Sun-Saturn trine, we have the essential portrait of Berlinguer: an absolutely “secondary” individual (reactions mediated by reason), slow, tenacious, obstinate, constructive, practical, rational, honest, driven by a strong sense of duty.
All this, to those with a superficial knowledge of astrology, may appear to conflict with the Gemini values usually identified in attributes such as instability, restlessness, versatility, superficiality, humor, youthfulness, cunning, curiosity, ambiguity, etc., many of which are reflected in well-known Gemini figures such as Gino Bramieri, Mike Bongiorno, Pippo Baudo, Raffaella Carrà, and others.
It has been said that “it may appear to conflict,” but in reality this is not the case. Indeed, it must not be forgotten that Gemini is a double sign, and within it coexists two opposites: Castor and Pollux. Enrico Berlinguer undoubtedly embodies the Castor type, which Barbault defines as emotional, inactive, and sensitive.
That Berlinguer is a problematic man is evident from his perpetually sad look, which inspires tenderness in the women among whom he is particularly popular.
His sad expression also reflects the loyalty (Aries Ascendant and Sun-Saturn trine) recognized by political friends and enemies.
To avoid “celebrating” Berlinguer, as a well-known figure of our time might say, we will now attempt to highlight a less than positive side of the political leader, a side that until now has never been noticed by anyone, but which is very evident in the birth chart. We are referring to the complex of weaknesses attributable to the Moon-Neptune square, a very marked square given that the orb of tolerance is about a quarter of a degree.
We personally consider this aspect to be highly debilitating on the will as well as responsible for psychological insecurity, confusion, and fear.
In this light, various attitudes of Enrico Berlinguer, generally attributed to different causes, can be better explained. For example, his refusal to reveal his age to the journalist who asked him goes far beyond reserve (which is certainly present in him) and is rather an expression of a certain underlying insecurity that pushes him to say as little as possible to avoid any attack.
It is said that he does not refuse to fight (in the psychogram cited, we find 90% competition), and the Taurus values on one side and Gemini on the other confirm this. However, it is also true that, in such circumstances, he never escalates the conflict but ultimately tends towards a diplomatic solution (for example, during the divorce battle, when, despite being certain of the secularist side’s victory, he sought a compromise solution).
More than one will object that there are obvious political reasons behind his choices, and we do not deny them. On the other hand, we may be allowed the presumption (driven exclusively by that great “beacon” that is astrology) to declare that Berlinguer’s choices are almost always driven by insecurity.
The historic compromise itself, which at first glance might seem like a classic expression of Gemini dualism, is, in our opinion, not only a reasoned political choice, but also an attempt to hold other political forces accountable when the PCI ascends to government, to avoid vertical splits whose consequences could be too great to bear (especially for a man with a Moon-Neptune square).
It seems no coincidence, in this regard, that he first considered the historic compromise during his convalescence from a car accident in the fall of 1973 (as he himself stated), with Saturn transiting in the third House, conjunct Venus, square to his root position, and opposite Mars: therefore, in a state of psycho-physical hypovitality. This weak side of the personality of the Botteghe Oscure leader, unknown to the public and perhaps even to many of his close friends, in our opinion does not undermine the many merits of this very popular politician, but rather makes him more realistically human.
Returning to the birth chart, it’s interesting to note the position of Mars in the ninth house, opposite Mercury and Venus. This is a reference, among other things, to the Communist Prime Minister’s “foreign misadventures.” These misadventures began in 1964 when, leading an Italian delegation to the 16th Congress of the Communist Party of the United States, he received no applause from those present at the end of his speech, having contradicted the majority of them.
He subsequently suffered other more or less serious “incidents” of this kind, such as in Beijing in 1966, in Moscow in 1969, and on various other occasions. The position of Mars also indicates that Berlinguer’s greatest fighting energies were directed toward international issues: it is no coincidence that he is the inventor of Eurocommunism and the standard-bearer of the independence of the Western European Communist parties from Moscow.
From what has been said so far, and referring to the psychogram transcribed above, we agree on the high score given to the heading “protection of children” (this is the sector in which Neptune, square to the Moon, makes its “distressing” influence most felt), as well as to the headings “importance of public role,” “competition,” “ambition,” and “religion,” while we would make some adjustments to the others.
Dynamism, 55%, for example, we believe is unfair, given that the word dynamism conjures up, as a concept, a more or less frenetic activity that is never found in our subject. Instead, we can speak of a continuum of industriousness, which is a different matter.
We, however, find the low score given to erotic-sentimental interests to be fair. Finally, we would add another item related to the many Taurus values: obstinacy, to which we feel we should give the highest score. This is a quality already known about Berlinguer, as noted in various reports. Vittorio Gorresio, in the book cited, writes on page 67: “It seems that Berlinguer never dominates, limiting himself to being a stubborn person like few others.”
There are two important periods in the subject’s near future in terms of transformations. These are two difficult “passages” of Uranus that, although beneficial from an evolutionary perspective, will certainly test him on an existential level. The first is already underway and will last until next autumn, when Uranus will completely overcome its opposition to the radical Moon. The other, which in our opinion will mark one of the most important periods of his life, will take place between 1981 and 1983.
