The Astrology of Bond - James Bond

By Ra Rishikavi Raghudas

The famous theme plays and a gun barrel frames a striding figure in a tuxedo--who suddenly turns and fires. The gun barrel drips red, and the adventure begins. These yarns about vanquishing megalomaniacs and thus saving the world can star only one man: that paragon of alpha-malehood and suavity... sophisticated and yet raw...the most famous secret agent in the world--007 himself, James Bond.

Most moviegoers have seen the films, many have read the original novels upon which they were based, but few know the esoteric and astrological secrets behind this enduring fictional figure. As is often said, truth is sometimes stranger than fiction, and the facts behind Bond are good examples of this maxim.

It has been rumored for many years that Queen Elizabeth I’s court astrologer and suspected spy, the enigmatic John Dee, used two circles and a seven as his secret calling card in correspondence with the Queen, making him supposedly the first secret agent code-named 007. (The circles represented eyes, and the number seven was for invoking divine protection.) It makes for a titillating tale, but there is not enough evidence for it to be conclusively proven to be true. Yet, the truth is strange enough.

Bond was created by English author Ian Fleming, who was fascinated with John Dee. Fleming had been born into a wealthy family, attended Eton (where the upper-crust went to school), suffered much bullying and spent much of his youth being dissolute. He drank and smoked heavily and went from one love affair to another, failing miserably at just about everything he attempted. He drifted into journalism, got hired by Reuters wire service as a correspondent, and went abroad, covering international news and politics.

This led into undercover work on behalf of the English government regarding Russian affairs, and Fleming developed a reputation for being someone who could be counted on to keep a secret and for his deft way of working with hidden contacts. He was eventually drafted by Rear Admiral John Godfrey, head of British Naval Intelligence, to be his second-in-command during the run-up to World War II. Godfrey knew that Fleming was well-versed in secret codes. It was in this role as a prominent agent in British intelligence that Fleming had the experiences he later drew upon to create his suave but hard-boiled alter ego, James Bond.

Fleming’s birth chart shows the classic Sun-Sign for a writer, Gemini--particularly strong in its natural house, the 3rd. His Moon in Taurus is also in the 3rd, and makes a hard square to his very independent Aquarius Ascendant. Having Aquarius rising also meant that Fleming was drawn to similarly quirky sorts, and even those who had a metaphysical bent. He knew occultists Aleister Crowley and Sybil Leek, along with the eccentric Dame Edith Sitwell (with whom he intended to write a book on the magician Paracelsus). Fleming himself actually translated a lecture by psychologist Carl Jung on the archetypes of the physician, the alchemist and magician.

Uranus conjunct Juno in the 12th House gave Fleming a natural talent for espionage, for dragging secrets out of people. With his Sagittarius Midheaven, it was perhaps his destiny to go abroad and to find his greatest fame through publishing, as Sagittarius rules both travel and books. Jupiter, Sagittarius’s ruler, is found in the 6th House of work and makes a lovely trine to Saturn (which, among other things, represents authorities), so although Fleming was personally something of a charming piece of work, his relations with those in command were actually good.

There is some dispute as to whether Fleming simply found all these metaphysical people and subjects fascinating, or actually practiced occult rituals. What is certain is that Fleming’s 5th House of creativity was full--it included a house-cuspal Mercury-Pluto conjunction in Gemini (perfect for espionage and for writing about it) and a close Mars-North Node conjunction in Cancer, making Fleming a creative type in spite of himself. And there is a persistent legend that he actually used astrology to trap high-ranking Nazis during World War II.

Rudoph Hess, Hitler’s Deputy Fuhrer, was known to be obsessed with matters of the occult. In particular, Hess was obsessive about astrology. The story is that Fleming, through English aristocrats who were Nazi sympathizers, fed Hess astrological disinformation that persuaded Hess that the time was right for England to sue for peace. Churchill was supposedly just waiting for Hitler to make an overture. So taking it upon himself to be the hero in this scenario, Hess flew secretly to Scotland, crash landed, and came out demanding to see Churchill. He was promptly captured and spent the rest of his life in a British prison.

After the war, Fleming settled down in his Jamaican retreat called Goldeneye to write his pulpy Bond novels. He indulged in romances with the wives of English aristocrats and drank several martinis daily around the time of late afternoon hymns, or vespers. (Hence, the Vesper martini and eventual name for the double-dealing character in Casino Royale.) Fleming was also a devoted bird-watcher and named his dashing secret agent after a well-known American ornithologist named - you guessed it - James Bond, whose name appealed to the Englishman because it was so bland.

Fleming wanted Bond to be a cipher with no inner life, simply a man to whom things happened, a blunt instrument, as he put it, in the hands of the government. But some of his earlier metaphysical interests carried over into his creations. This may come as a surprise to those who know Bond only from the action-packed movies, but Fleming stated that Bond was “Manichean,” meaning that the character battled evil and embodied certain esoteric truths to which only initiates had access.

John Pearson, Fleming’s assistant at the Sunday Times newspaper, where he worked after the war, wrote a fictional biography of James Bond based on Fleming’s notes and his books. He specifically gave Bond a Scorpio birthdate of November 11, 1920, with all the classic Scorpio characteristics.

Think about it: Bond is a spy and a man of action, and prone to violence. He’s passionate and highly sexual, often tempted or involved with femme fatales. He has a sarcastic wit and (with occasional lapses) is emotionally suppressed or distant. Certainly Bond can be courageous and is ruthless when called for, he has domineering enemies, and can be as vengeful as they are. Valued for his dark skills, he must continually prove himself and transcend limitations of danger and fear. He gets the girl and (generally speaking) always wins in the end. Pure Scorpio.

Thus, James Bond qualifies as a mythological figure, another of what Joseph Campbell famously called “the hero with a thousand faces.” Bond does, in his created universe, what we wish we could do, he embodies collective fantasies. (Or at least, post-Empire, white British male fantasies.) Besides dressing well and mingling with the hoi-polloi, he overcomes evil and restores order. He embodies a collective animus (the male energy principle), and beds numerous beautiful women--signifying, if you want to be metaphysical, union with the collective anima. Bond suffers wounds but conquers in spite of the difficulties. He’s always in danger but uses intelligence and sometimes brute force to succeed. Ultimately, he wins one way or another. He is essentially immortal. As it always says in the end credits, James Bond will return.

Bond--billed as Jimmy “Card-Sharp” Bond--was first portrayed on a live CBS teleplay production of Casino Royale by American actor BARRY NELSON, opposite Peter Lorre as the villain Le Chiffre. The date was October 21, 1954, and the production was an episode of the dramatic anthology series, Climax!

In the chart for the telecast, we can note a late Libra Sun-Neptune conjunction in a tight T-square to a powerfully lucky Jupiter-Uranus conjunction in Cancer and another square to Mars at 0 Aquarius. That Mars in the 8th House certainly fits the thriller theme of the story, and three planets in Scorpio (four with Ceres) in the 5th shows the gambling-and-death theme all too well. Cancer rising shows that the telecast packed an emotional punch. The Moon is in detailoriented early Virgo, just right for counting cards, and Venus is closely trine Jupiter-Uranus and tightly square violence-prone Pluto. Though not highly noted at the time, the live telecast was a success. James Bond was off and running!

When Fleming created Bond, he envisioned the singer-songwriter-actor Hoagy Carmichael - tall, lean, dark and handsome. Bond was to be a sophisticate who just happened to have a dangerous job. It takes little imagination to see Fleming’s conception of himself in this role, although he later said that he also drew upon several other men of action that he had known and that Bond was actually a composite figure.

But the first actor to play the suave secret agent on the big screen is the one that we will always remember and associate with Bond. This was of course Scotland-born SEAN CONNERY, who happened to have an early Virgo Sun-Neptune conjunction in his chart--which not only sat on the first TV production’s Moon, making a sort of energetic lineage apparent, but also had the gift of a rough-and-ready Saturn sitting on his early Capricorn Ascendant. Venus opposing Uranus, indicative of both sudden romantic encounters and a lack of commitment, added to his considerable charm. With his Virgo Moon in the 9th sextile ruthless Pluto in Cancer in the 7th, giving him a rakish persona and droll wit, Sean Connery will for those of a certain age always be THE embodiment of Bond.

We must note that Connery’s Midheaven, the point of reputation, is in Bond’s home sign of Scorpio. Though he had knocked around in a few films before this, being best known for Darby O’Gill and the Little People, it was the role of Bond in Dr. No that in 1962 catapulted him to worldwide fame. Connery’s full 9th House testifies to his international reputation. His sarcastic wit, signified here by Mercury in Virgo square Mars in Gemini, served him well as Bond.

It was said of Connery as Bond that women wanted him and men wanted to be him. What a fitting description of Connery’s Capricorn Ascendant and Cancer Descendant! Jupiter and Pluto residing in the 7th House made Connery instantly relatable. The North Node in Aries, in a loose square to intense Pluto, gave Connery a raw sexual charisma appropriate for the role.

Connery portrayed Bond in seven films: Dr. No(1962), From Russia With Love(1963), Goldfinger(1964), Thunderball(1965), You Only Live Twice(1967), Diamonds Are Forever(1971), and the non-canonical Never Say Never Again(1983). Tired of the role and feeling exploited, he quit after You Only Live Twice, leaving the producers searching for a replacement. Strangely, this turned out to be an Aussie car salesman-turned-male model who got the job by bluffing his way into the producers’ Bond audition, playing up his maschismo, and accidentally punching out his fight scene partner!

GEORGE LAZENBY is the odd duck in the sequence of actors who have played Bond, both for the fact that his tenure only lasted for one film, and for the fact that he had only done modeling and commercials before he got his big break on the silver screen. And he remains the odd man out because he virtually vanished from view afterwards!

Born in Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia, Lazenby did have some special ops training which prepared him for the very physical role of Bond, serving with the Australian Army Special Forces and as a military unarmed combat instructor. While certainly not as droll as Connery, Lazenby managed to turn On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) into what is now considered an underrated gem, although the reviews stank at the time because the audience was comparing him to Connery.

While we do not have a birth time for Lazenby, we can note that the Virgo theme continues here with a close Sun-Venus-Neptune conjunction, giving Lazenby a natural handsomeness and propensity toward glamour. The Moon-Uranus conjunction in equally earthy Taurus provides a steadying trine to the Neptunian suavity and fantasy. And Mars exalted in Capricorn also makes this a tight Grand Trine in Earth Signs. So whatever physicality was needed for Bond, Lazenby had it naturally. Note also that Lazenby’s North Node (destiny point) was in Scorpio--Bond’s own zodiac sign.

The director of OHMSS was Peter Hunt, a former Bond series editor-cum-assistant director. He did not get along with Lazenby, considering him an empty suit. Lazenby was at this time undergoing his Saturn Return. And his natal Saturn conjoins the hard-karma South Node. Even with Diana Rigg as his co-star, the shooting was miserable for all concerned. Lazenby also was having his head turned by the peace-and-love philosophy of the late-Sixties counterculture. He appeared at the premiere with long hair and a beard instead of Bond’s traditionally clean-cut look. The Bond producers and Lazenby all came to the same conclusion: as James Bond, Lazenby would not return.

To save the lucrative series, the producers turned once more to Sean Connery. For a substantial raise, he agreed to return for Diamonds Are Forever(1971). But it was now the Seventies, and suave secret agents were no longer really taken seriously. What to do?

ROGER MOORE, who had previously gained fame in the British TV series, The Saint, had been in talks to be the original Bond before Connery. Now he succeeded him, to become the longest-running Bond in franchise history. Moore starred in a total of seven Bond films: Live and Let Die(1973), The Man With the Golden Gun(1974), The Spy Who Loved Me(1977), Moonraker(1979), For Your Eyes Only(1981), Octopussy(1983), and A View To a Kill(1985).

With a Sun-Mars conjunction in sophisticated Libra, Moore added upper-class polish to the character of Bond, as well as a lightheartedness that suited the times. The given-to-quick-wit Gemini Moon is high in the 10th House of reputation, and in combination with a Leo Ascendant, known for being playful, we got a Bond as a man of action who could not be mistaken for someone who took life seriously. Moore did his job with a raised eyebrow and drollness that took Bond from previous Cold Warrior status to almost a comedic parody. It was during Moore’s tenure that the Bond films became more about the gadgets than the story.

Neptune, ruler of film, is rising in the 1st House in Leo, granting Moore an easy glamour, accentuated by a late-in-the-1st Venus in Virgo. Moore never looked out of place in a suit or tux. Born under an applying Jupiter-Uranus conjunction in the 8th House of sex and death, appropriate for the character, Roger Moore was astrologically very lucky.

Like Sean Connery, Moore became the Bond most associated with his era. (Note that Moore’s IC falls in Scorpio, Bond’s Sun-sign.) Saturn and several asteroids in action-oriented Sagittarius worked to Moore’s advantage, keeping him active in the role later than anyone else who would play Bond. He began at age 45 under his second Saturn Opposition, and hung up his tux at 58, under his second Saturn Return.

It was now the mid-1980s, and Pluto had entered its home sign of Scorpio. The spread of AIDS had made cultural and entertainment matters much more serious, if not outright grim. The producers had always had Bond mirror the zeitgeist. So now it was time to send him back to basics, to again be the serious, blunt instrument of Fleming’s original conception. They chose a classically trained Shakespearean actor with a plummy voice to bring some gravitas back to 007.

TIMOTHY DALTON had been considered for the role since Connery’s departure. The producers deemed him too young at first, but he was just the right age when Moore was done. Dalton’s brooding style suited what they felt was necessary for a general reboot of Bond. But behind-the-scenes trouble with MGM and various other lawsuits resulted in only a two-picture run for Dalton as Bond: The Living Daylights(1987) and Licence To Kill(1989).

We don’t have Dalton’s birth time, but we know he was born on the Vernal Equinox, giving him a 0 Aries Sun. Dalton had the requisite Mars energy to play Bond: Mercury and Venus occupy Mars-ruled Aries, Dalton’s Moon is in traditionally Mars-ruled Scorpio (Bond’s sign), and natal Mars sits in moody Cancer conjunct hard-assed Saturn. Then there’s intense Pluto, ruler of Scorpio, in stagecrafty Leo. So we’re talking about a seriousactor here--someone rough-and-ready as well as highly intelligent and independent.

The Living Daylightswas well-received as an updated Cold War thriller. But Dalton’s lead performance was considered by some to be a little too serious. Dull, even. When the next Bond film, Licence To Kill, was released--unusually--during the summer movie season, it died at the box office and Dalton’s somewhat dour Bond was blamed for it.

Astrologically, Pluto was making several slow swipes across Dalton’s Moon in Scorpio, and squaring his natal Pluto at the same time. So as quintessential as this energy seems for Bond, Dalton had to weather both tough reviews and Hollywood power plays outside of his control. He was left twisting in the filmic winds. It just wasn’t a good time for EON Productions (EON stood for Everything Or Nothing...how Scorpionic!) or the actor they had hired.

Legal matters delayed consideration of Dalton’s third Bond film until the mid-1990s, by which time both he and MGM, EON’s new distribution partner, mutually said, “No thanks.” It was time for another reboot, perhaps with an actor who could bring back some glamour. So they hired an actor who already was playing a suave, near-James Bond on TV, in a series called Remington Steele.

PIERCE BROSNAN, the first Irishman to play Bond, was also considered for the role after Roger Moore retired the tux, but NBC would not let Brosnan out of his contract for Remington Steele. Tall, literate, debonair and dreamily handsome, Brosnan was a natural match for Bond’s more audience-friendly, cosmopolitan side. He added proven acting ability, but more than anything else, Brosnan just lookedthe part. He portrayed Bond in four films: GoldenEye(1995), Tomorrow Never Dies(1997), The World Is Not Enough(1999), and Die Another Day(2002).

A Sun-sign Taurus with Jupiter, Mars and Moon in Gemini, Brosnan brought back the charm and wit. An exact, elevated Saturn-Neptune conjunction in beauty-loving Libra helped, and a tough-when-needed Sun-square-Pluto added necessary intensity. An interesting characteristic of Brosnan’s portrayal of Bond is how fierce he can look while still being wish-you-were-him, or-with-him handsome. The Moon at 29 Gemini on the Descendant provided a swooning-fangirl element to Brosnan’s public face, making him easily relatable. Making Bond a bit lighter than Dalton’s grim portrayal, he was just what the franchise needed. The result was a bigger box office take. (Note the Scorpio Midheaven. Bond is Brosnan’s best-known role.)

GoldenEye, Brosnan’s Bond debut, is considered one of the best films in the entire series. But the writing suffered after that, and the gadgetry overwhelmed Brosnan’s subsequent films. After the invisible car stunt in Die Another Dayleft both critics and audience casting aspersions at the screen, a more serious element was needed again. And Brosnan was beginning to look a little aged, handsome though he still was. So over his private (and some public) protests, Brosnan was let go.

Something else happened as Die Another Daywas filming, that made the world a different place and forced the producers’ hands: September 11, 2001. There was no place after 9/11 for silliness. If Bond was to mirror the times, from now on everything had to be grounded in rock-bottom reality, because the world had turned deadly serious.

EON was now in the hands of original producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli’s daughter and stepson. They decided that they needed to go back even further than a conventional reboot, and tell Bond’s origin story. In the era of the Jason Bourne films, Bond had to be believable from a human, grounded perspective. No more two-dimensional fantasies, Bond needed heft. He needed to be Fleming’s blunt instrument, but now with an added inner life. Who could play this character? After a four-year break in which many legal issues were finally resolved, they found their man.

Enter DANIEL CRAIG. He had been a well-regarded character actor before being chosen to play James Bond, and his brute, animal-like physicality gave his Bond a sort of working-class persona. So no more light wit or vestiges of elitism from 007, no more sipping martinis unless it revealed a tendency toward alcoholism; and no more seductions of women unless they were three-dimensional like him. This was a Bond for a new, more realistic, sober and melancholy era, filled with complexities and actual terror.

Daniel Craig starred as James Bond in five films: Casino Royale(2006), Quantum of Solace(2008), Skyfall(2012), Spectre(2015), and No Time To Die(2021), the 25th in the official canon. For the first time in franchise history, the stories of the films were linked together.

Daniel Craig’s chart has an unknown birth time, but it is fascinating nonetheless. Craig’s Sun-sign is Pisces, which makes him the first Water Sign native to portray 007. Water Signs are empathetic, and Craig makes the audience feel his inner turmoil and outward iciness. His Bond is fully fleshed-out. (Note that Neptune here is in Bond’s sign of Scorpio.) Through his Pisces Sun and Pluto-Uranus in Virgo, there is also an energetic link back to 007’s early history where Virgo played a central role. Craig’s Bond is considered to be the best since Connery’s and the closest to Fleming’s original concept of a ruthless secret agent just doing his job.

Another astrological throwback is Craig’s strong Mars-Saturn conjunction in Aries, which echoes Dalton’s conjunction in Cancer. Craig’s natal Moon in Aries conjoined the North Node also shows that carving out new paths of action--in this case, through acting--is part of his destiny, and suits his Bond well. In accordance with this era’s requisite thousand-yard stare, Craig’s Venus is in detached Aquarius, making his Bond a brooder who shows little emotion, with the exception being in No Time To Die. Now that Craig’s tenure is over, I would expect this brooding to change to a lighter tone. Heaven knows, we need it.

It begs the question: Is there a place for James Bond in the Me Too era? He was created in a sexist era as an imperialistic fantasy of the ultimate alpha male. He’s had to weather many social storms, but has managed to last over 60 years in books, television and on the silver screen. Here’s my personal view: I think there is a place for Bond if the producers bring back some of the emotional connection, the glamour and, dare I say it, romance of what a strong man can be without totally moving into political correctness. He has to be relevant without being political.

Bond is who he is, he can be moved only so far without destroying the character’s essence. I say, keep the strong masculinity and connect it to a glamorous humanity. The 2020s demand it, as the emerging Aquarian zeitgeist moves toward more social equality. Bend him, but don’t break him. Let him remain the urbane but deadly paragon of masculinity. That way, we will always recognize him. We know who he is. And so does he.

The name is BOND - JAMES BOND. And... cue that famous theme!

Published in: Timelords Magazine, Dec. 2021.

Ra Rishikavi Raghudas has been a professional astrologer for nearly 40 years. He is also a poet, screenwriter and producer. A sought-after speaker at astrology conferences around the world, he resides in Los Angeles, CA. His new book, “The Astrology of Bond--James Bond,” expands on this essay. Available on Amazon, November, 2021. Please visit his website www.starpresence.net for more information.

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