Robert Blake Research – a Teaching Article

by Marilyn Muir, LPMAFA

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

My editor and partner, Deb, and I were discussing what to write about now that we have completed our twelfth book in three years, along with the 230 articles already posted on our website. Do watch for the new book (#11) Planets – Backwards and Forwards to be posted once Mercury turns direct. Deb is still editing and formatting book #12, extensive research on Comas. Deb thought readers might be interested in an article on a celebrity. I’ve not done many celebrity charts during my 50+ years of astrological study. Have done a few, but always with a story to investigate and tell, so I was hesitant. While searching for writable material for the new article, I stumbled across a blast from my own past.

I recently celebrated my Uranus return (84 years); but when I was a pre-teen (late 1940s) it was a different world. Every Saturday, I (and every child in our rural area) showed up with our quarters and got to see a current news reel, a “coming attraction” promotional film, and a spaghetti western starring actors such as Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Red Ryder, etc. (That’s right: 25 cents!) All of us kids my age walked several miles to get to a larger town with its own movie theater, with a shortcut along railroad tracks. Thank goodness that old rural area didn’t have much train traffic. Aside from radio, movies were just about all that was going on at that time. In the late 40s TV was fast approaching, but not quite there yet. Life was very different. Imagine when I was going through my astrological notes, I came across the name of a celebrity with a compelling story to write about – and it just happened to be my pre-teen heartthrob “Little Beaver” who was movie cowboy Red Ryder’s child sidekick. Sometimes the universe gives me a shove, and so here is Little Beaver’s story… And what a story to tell astrologically!

Michael James Vijencio Gubitosi. Now there’s a name you might not recognize. Little Beaver was played by Robert Blake (his stage name). He was in movies as a young child, was a character in the “Our Gang – Little Rascals” series, later as a sidekick to the silver screen cowboy, and then an avalanche of movie, theater and television roles that is stunning to review. I had no idea how much theatrical work he had done. Amazing! His personal life story was not as thrilling. I was horrified at the awful process he called life; but that is the story I get to tell astrologically. (*Dates and paraphrased descriptions throughout from the extensive annotated Wikipedia article.)

Briefly, Michael Gubitosi (Blake) was born September 18, 1933, at 8:30 AM EDT, Nutley, New Jersey (Rodden AA), into an Italian family. Blake described his own childhood as one of physical and sexual abuse, frequently locked in a closet and forced to eat off the floor. Entering public school at age ten, he was bullied and fought back, leading to expulsion. He ran away from home at fourteen and was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1950. His father suicided in 1956 when he was in his early twenties. Too much negativity to write about here, but know that he experienced it in abundance. The Wiki and IMDb articles cited will detail his story. At age 21 he was without job prospects and fell into a deep depression, leading to a two-year addiction to heroin and cocaine. He entered an acting class to improve both his personal and professional life – and a star was born. He still led a very rough life throughout.

Early theater history:      His song and dance parents had moved to California so the family could participate in the movies. He and his brothers were called “The Three Little Hillbillies” and started as movie extras. His name change evolved later. He was often cast as an American Indian or Latino character. His first movies were in 1939, then on to Little Rascals. He was able to successfully transition from child to adult roles, with one of the longest careers in the movies. His breakthrough role was “In Cold Blood” playing real-life murderer, Perry Smith. Blake’s best-known work was the Emmy Award winning television series “Baretta”. His list of movie and television credits is amazing, see the list in Wikipedia and the IMDb sources.

Astrology:      In an astrology chart, the whole life of an individual is open to examination, and that can be daunting. Astrologically, we compartmentalize to examine pieces of a life. We will begin at the beginning: the natal chart. Who was Michael Gubitosi / Robert Blake?

When we read a natal chart, we are examining the whole life pattern of an individual. Where do you begin? What stands out? For Robert Blake, I will start with the very strong 12^th house: Sun, Mercury, and Jupiter within 7˚. A strong communication drive, but in the closet of the chart, the house of self-undoing. Why is that the definition for the 12^th house?

Teaching Moment: Put your hand in front of your face palm outward, then circle your hand to the back of your skull, your blind spot, and analogous to the twelfth house. The sign on the cusp of the twelfth and the planets within describe how you can shoot yourself in the foot!

Blake’s self-identity (Sun) along with his communication and education planets (Mercury and Jupiter) stand alone; there is no major aspect to any other planet except a wide sextile to Pluto in the 10^th. Validation of that powerful triple conjunction would have to be within himself (12^th house), with their only natural outlet in his career or status arena (Pluto in the 10^th). He was acclaimed, but his personal life seemed to be a mess most of the time. Natal highlights:

His four natal angles are in tight (3˚) square to one another. The dominant (angular) arenas of his life: self (1^st), family (4^th), partnership (7^th) and career / status (10^th), stress one another continuously.

• Saturn and Capricorn rule the family arena as evidenced by the earlier description of his very hostile early home life. His home / family energies stress his personhood, his partnerships, his career or status. How do we relate outwardly into the world if we cannot relate at home?
• Partnership (7^th) is ruled by Mars and occupied by Uranus (volatile, abrupt, challenging). His partnership ruler Mars is in his 2^nd house of money. Not only does he have to fight obtain and keep his money (Mars in the 2^nd), but in ruling his partnership house, he might also have to fight for his money within his partnership. That Uranus in the 7^th / Pluto in the 10^th square is mutually applying (developing) and will stay in close aspect all his life. This was a generational aspect, but directly affected Blake’s personal and business partnerships, particularly by house.
• Career/status (10^th) is ruled by the Moon which is tightly conjunct Neptune (half degree). Now there is a conundrum: Moon / Neptune conjunct in Virgo? Is it the Moon / Neptune or Moon in Virgo, which could work against one another? Which was he? Could both be operating at any moment? Talk about confusion! The skill of the Moon / Neptune conjunction as part of his amazing ability to develop the characters he played on screen is evident, but could and would also influence the outcome of his career / status. Moon in Virgo talks about the emotions but doesn’t necessarily experience them. Moon conjunct Neptune is vulnerable emotionally, possibly idealistic or naive. Playing a character in your own life is not the same as “being” the character! Think of this skill and its effect on his accomplishments. Pluto occupying the 10^th represents all or nothing, power or powerlessness. In the 10^th, Pluto can indicate a powerful presence. His life experience was just that: high highs and low lows, all not necessarily within his control. That Pluto is sextile his Sun. He was well known for his acting skills, but that might not help his personal validation (Sun) in the personal closet 12^th.
• He has a Libra Ascendant with its ruler in the 1^st in Scorpio (intensity). As volatile as he and his life were, you would not expect that from a Libra Ascendant. Why?

Teaching Moment. Look to the ruler and its aspects. Venus in Scorpio can be very intense and Pluto-like in its character and is widely opposite and out of sign to Uranus in the 7^th, with very volatile partnership possibilities. Expect the unexpected relationally. Is that Venus also in wide and out of sign square to its ruler Pluto due to the existing square between Uranus and Pluto? If that is operating as a wide but applying T-square, it would definitely explain that relationship volatility that permeated his life. Venus is also widely square Saturn in the 4^th, but they are mutually applying (strengthening). Difficult for family / foundation and relating / partnership issues. What we do not learn from family can handicap us throughout our lives. Blake definitely did not learn relationship skills from his dysfunctional family! This is his chart ruler we are talking about, affecting him personally. Does this help him? Remember, Venus is widely sextile the Moon / Neptune conjunction that shows conflicting characteristics as described above. His relationships and his life were very rocky and volatile, definitely not Libra-like.

Another Teaching Moment: Note the planet cluster. Have you noticed that five of his natal planets are within 22 degrees of space? 10 Virgo to 2 Libra. Clusters are often found in the charts of people or events of strong impact. I think clusters are vastly under-rated. Stelliums (three or more planets in a single sign) are noted for their strengthening of a trait, so why not clusters?

There is always more natally; but his natal reading is not my purpose here. The balance of living his life for 89 years awaits our astrological examination, and what a life that was! The biographical websites’ information provided will illustrate that his life was very volatile in general. Each chart is a whole new ballgame. Where to begin?

Yet another Teaching Moment: Each life cycle chart cast is like observing a plate of spaghetti, with multiple new observations for each. First, we will use the dates for major events in his life. Then we will isolate our search to the subject of each event. We can always expand our reading; but start simply with the subject at hand and then expand as possible or necessary.

He was married three times, none of which worked out well. The weblinks provided tell that tale best.

• Blake’s first marriage to actress Sondra Kerr occurred in 1961 ending in separation and divorce in 1983. Two children were born during this 22-year marriage. He was then single for seventeen years.
• His second marriage was short-lived (due to his wife’s death) and he was then single for sixteen more years. (Single does not equate to alone, it equates to unmarried.) More about marriage #2 in a moment.
• Blake’s third marriage was to longtime associate Pamela Hudek. No date given, only that Blake applied for the license one week earlier than March 13, 2017. Blake filed for divorce December 7, 2018.

Teaching Moment: What do you do when you don’t have the detail you need? All is not lost, but you must remember you are fudging the timing for events. We can get close, perhaps not exact. What can we examine to help us? Usually, I progress the natal chart and cast a diurnal for the date in question. Month and day are missing in marriages #1 and #3, so we have a fudge factor of a solid year. How do we bridge that much time? Progressions will work with our fudge factor; but the diurnals won’t. Progressions it is. To what date? Usually, an actual event date is available, perhaps not. Since progressions are a “day for a year translation based on the natal”, I would set the progressions for the month and day of actual birth along with the year of progressed activity. That way it is at least partially anchored to the natal chart. In this instance, Blake’s birthday is September 18^th, the year of his first marriage was 1961 and divorce 1983. I would set progressions for September 18, 1961, as ballpark for this marriage and September 18, 1983, as ballpark for the divorce. It gives a reasonably compact timeframe to examine available possibilities, remembering always that the numbers are possibility, not actuality. This is particularly useful when examining a process and can help time an event. You can do this! How? Practice, practice, practice!

What does this progression fudge factor amount to? “I have given you a day for a year…”

• The Midheaven and Sun travel 1˚ within 24-hours on the clock. That equates to a year of motion in progressions, each year after birth (360˚ of travel within our 365.25-day calendar). Our progressed Sun or Midheaven fudge factor is therefore 1˚per year, or about 5 minutes per progressed month (5 minutes position travel times 12 months equals 60 minutes or 1 degree).
• The accompanying Ascendant travels a varying amount dependent upon latitude of birth – from slightly less than a degree to a degree and a half or more for the same period being measured. We can average the progressed Ascendant to close to a degree per year by progression. This is similar to the Sun and Midheaven travel, but do remember this number fluctuates depending on latitude of birth.
• The Moon can travel from 12 to 15˚ in a day, translated; so, the progressed Moon travels approximately 12 to 15˚ per year or approximately 1˚ per progressed month.
• Each of the other planets travel their individual speed of that moment, so each must be calculated individually. How do you do that? If you can read an ephemeris, look up the two pertinent and adjacent progressed year positions and interpolate. If you use computer charts, generate two progressed charts a year apart (including the event you are investigating) and interpolate the actual travel for the progressed year and then further divide by twelve if you need monthly motion.
• Note any planets retrograde. Remember, only planets can retrograde. The Sun, Moon, Midheaven and Ascendant are not subject to retrograde. The eight planets slow, stop, turn retrograde, speed up, slow, stop, and turn direct, so the orbital speeds vary and must be individually interpolated. How? Look at the relative two years adjacent progressed positions, interpolate the actual motion, and if needed, divide by twelve for monthly motion. The further out from the Sun as orbit of the planet, the slower the daily speed becomes. The angles and inner orbit planets do travel substantially. The outers are almost motionless on this day-for-a-year basis, so they cover periods of time (process), and not just individual events. When an aspect becomes perfect by progression, it can point to a specific event.

Another teaching moment: I don’t want to leave a hole in your knowledge. There is such a thing as converse progressions, where you examine the patterns prior to the birth event. That is not part of this teaching moment. My Predictions workbook is on my website, giving a larger picture of progressions (http://www.marilynmuir.net/books/).

Note: All progressed and diurnal charts are based on Blake’s natal chart.

Even though Blake’s first marriage should be my primary choice, it does not have reliable dating. His second marriage was to Bonnie Lee Bakley on November 19, 2000. This ended tragically when she was shot to death on March 4, 2001. We are going to work with this second marriage because we are dealing with reliable dates. Blake met Bonnie in 1999 and they married November 19, 2000. Blake was Bakely’s tenth husband. According to the reported history, Bakley had dated and married “older” guys, especially celebrities, as a scam* (see sourcing at bottom of article). Bonnie had also been dating Christian Brando, son of Marlon, and was pregnant, claiming Brando was the father. When born, the baby’s last name was listed as Brando. Blake insisted on a paternity test that proved he was the baby’s father. And so, the two married, renaming the child. Unusual beginning to a marriage! Can you tell how well this was going to work? Are you surprised with Mars ruling and Uranus occupying Blake’s natal 7^th house with Uranus opposed the natal Ascendant ruler, Venus?

Teaching Moment: Let us look at Blake’s progressing astrology for that moment; just don’t forget the overall process that was in play. Simplify: isolate these choices to marital issues. Tight aspects preferred.

• Blake’s progressed Midheaven (change of title or stature: single to married) 26:12 Virgo, 1˚ conjunct natal Sun 25:08, off by 1 degree separating (the past). He began dating wife #2, Bonnie, in 1999 when that conjunction would have been exact (process).  
• Note the natal Uranus / Pluto square is tighter, but its’ nature has changed over the years from applying to separating. Note that there was a long non-married period between wives #1 and #2; and another non-married period between wives #2 and #3.
• Progressed Jupiter 15:37 Libra was conjunct Blake’s natal Ascendant within a half degree. Can you say marriage or perhaps celebration? Activate the Ascendant… and the Descendant representing marriage is automatically activated as they are an axis! Both ends of the pencil wiggle regardless of which end is in use!
• Progressed Moon 6:39 Pisces is opposing first natal Neptune 10:30 then progressed Neptune 12:16 Virgo. Emotional confusion or deception? This also activates by opposition his natal Moon 9:51 Virgo /Neptune conjunction.

Teaching Moment: The natal is the promise, the activation is what is happening currently as event.

• Progressing Moon travels about 1˚ per month, so this whole complex peaks quickly, in about five to six months. Wife #2 was killed May 4, 2001, less than six months from the marriage date. Neptune is all over this. Will we ever know the truth?
• Isolate. What is happening to the ruler of the natal marriage house of 16:05 Aries? Natal Mars 15:25 Scorpio had been under a progressed Mercury Retrograde passage for several years prior while single. Retrograde planets tend to look back at experience and review, and hopefully learn and grow. If transiting Mercury retrograde takes 18 to 24 days to complete, that would translate to 18-24 years by progression. Ouch! How would you like to have 18 to 24 years (not days) of progressed Mercury retrograde for any reason, but especially over your marriage ruler? By progression, this extension of time effect is not only possible, but also ordinary.

Another Teaching Moment: This is Blake’s 2^nd marriage. All marriages are 7^th house issues. Using the principles of the derivative. House System, his second marriage can also include the 9^th house, ruler and any occupants.

MURDER!      Less than six months later (November 19, 2000, to May 4, 2001), was the tragic ending of this marriage through the shooting death of his wife. Blake took her out for dinner at a favorite Italian restaurant in Studio City, CA. Reportedly after they left the establishment and Bonnie was in the car, Blake had to return to the restaurant to retrieve his gun that he had forgotten to take with him. While Blake was at the restaurant, Bonnie was killed by a shot to the head as she sat alone in the car. Apparently, she had received physical threats, so Blake was armed to protect his wife. With multiple prior scam marriages, do you think it was possible that someone might have been upset? But, leaving her alone in a car on a side street was not the best of ideas if she needed protection. During the investigation, Blake’s gun was found to not be the murder weapon and he did not have weapon discharge on his hands. At that time Blake was not arrested.

Fast forward to April 22, 2002 when the police charged Blake and his bodyguard, Earle Caldwell, with the murder plus two counts of solicitation and one count of conspiracy to commit murder. Bodyguard? Where was the bodyguard during the shooting? Blake pled not guilty. After nearly a year of imprisonment awaiting trial, Blake was granted a $1.5 million bail on March 13, 2003, but was placed under house arrest. Solicitation of murder? Conspiracy? Who, what, why?

Two retired stuntmen agreed to testify against Blake that he had tried to hire them individually to kill Bonnie. One (Hambleton) did so under duress that he could be charged by a Grand Jury. Another stuntman (McLarty) also came forward with a similar story. On October 31, 2003, the judge dismissed two conspiracy charges. In November of 2003, the junior prosecutor who had handled the case admitted in a televised interview that there was no forensic evidence implicating Blake in the murder, and that he could not be tied to the murder weapon.

The criminal trial began December 20, 2004. The prosecution opened with the cause that Blake wanted to “free himself from his marriage”. The defense countered with “circumstantial and fabricated evidence”. The criminal trial verdict on March 16, 2005, was not guilty of murder and one count of solicitation to commit murder. The jury deadlocked on the other solicitation, in favor of acquittal so that count was dropped. As freeing as that decision was, that was not the end of court proceedings.

“*A civil suit was filed against Blake by Bonnie’s three children charging that he was responsible for her death. During that trial, the girlfriend of Blake’s co-defendant, Earle Caldwell (bodyguard), said she believed Blake and Caldwell were involved in the crime.” [Belief: Civil court has quite different rules of evidence than criminal court – they are much looser.] “On November 18, 2005, the civil jury found Blake liable for the wrongful death of his wife and ordered him to pay $30 million as penalty.” This was appealed on February 28, 2007. On April 26, 2008, an appeals court upheld the civil case guilty verdict, but cut Blake’s penalty assessment to $15 million.” Blake had already filed for bankruptcy February 3, 2006. He was heavily in debt for that penalty, unpaid legal fees, and as it that weren’t enough, there was also a California state tax lien for unpaid back taxes. In subsequent interviews, Blake ranged from defensive and angry to a willing participant. He initiated presentations and shows about his life experience as time progressed.

Teaching Moment: All these close dates as given could be examined starting with the wife #2’s death progressions simply by interpolating the angle or planetary yearly and monthly motion (directions given above). Personally, I prefer the diurnals for tighter timing. What is a diurnal? Diurnal means “day.” It is a personalized transit chart based on natal coordinates. As such, it provides a personal Midheaven and Ascendant (angles) tied directly to a specific natal chart. How do you get a personal diurnal chart? By hand or by computer, enter the complete natal data. Then change only the date to whatever date you want to examine. You could set one for every day of the year; but I can’t even imagine that amount of work if you are not serving a specific purpose. My diurnal workbook is on my website (http://www.marilynmuir.net/books/).

Continuing with marriage #2, next will be Bonnie’s death, followed by the criminal arrest and acquittal, bankruptcy, and Blake’s death via progressions and diurnals. We have looked at the progressions for this marriage. Using diurnals, I start with studying the angles: natal, diurnal and progressed. For this study of Death of wife #2, stay isolated to the relational subject.

Teaching Moment: The following notes reflect diurnal to diurnal and diurnal to natal primarily. It is also possible to do diurnal to progressions, if dating is accurate.

• Blake’s Diurnal Ascendant 4:42 Sagittarius widely opposed diurnal Jupiter 7:19 Rx Gemini in diurnal 7^th of marriage, square diurnal Moon 8:50 Virgo (T-square), with that diurnal Moon conjunct the natal Moon / Neptune conjunction in Virgo. Natal promise activated by current event.
• Diurnal N Node 16 Can 48 Rx squares the natal Ascendant / Descendant axis at 16:05 Libra/Aries. (Karmic).
• Diurnal Sun 27:29 Scorpio is square natal N Node 28:30 Aquarius Rx (Karmic).
• None of this sounds like a marriage made in heaven.

Diurnal for wife #2’s violent death

• Blake’s Wife #2’s death diurnal lists 27:57 Gemini rising with diurnal Mars (7^th house natal ruler) in the 7^th house of marriage at 28:45 Sagittarius, 3˚ past the square to natal Sun 25:08 Virgo (process: couple met in 1999).
• Diurnal Jupiter 14:15 Gemini is opposite diurnal Pluto 14:42 Rx Sagittarius.
• Diurnal Sun 14:06 Taurus is opposed natal Mars (natal 7^th house ruler) 15:25 Scorpio.
• Diurnal Neptune 8:46 Aquarius is conjunct natal Saturn 10:16 Rx.

Progressed death of wife #2 chart has barely moved from the marriage progression, with only a half degree on the angles and Sun. (Teaching Moment: natal is promise, moving aspect is activation.)

• The progressing Moon has moved about 6 degrees from the marriage position to 12:43 Pisces opposition progressed Neptune.
• The natal Moon / Neptune conjunction (promise) is squared by that progressed Moon / Neptune opposition (activation), and widely squared by the progressed Ascendant / Descendant angle axis, a process with more activity as the chart progresses forward. Think of the criminal charges, criminal acquittal, civil charges, civil guilty verdict, and bankruptcy ahead of him, one right after another, very close in time.
• Diurnal Sun 27:29 Scorpio is exactly opposed diurnal Saturn 27:29 Rx Taurus, squaring natal Nodes 28:30 Aquarius / Leo (Karmic).
• The diurnal N Node 16:48 Rx Cancer / Capricorn axis (Karma) is conjunct the natal Midheaven / 4^th cusp axis, square the natal Ascendant / Descendant axis.

Progressed criminal arrest.      Because these ongoing events are so close to one another, there is minimal change in the progressing planets and angles, with one exception: the progressing Moon. So, to dig deeper or fine tune the aspects, we must rely on the diurnals. This whole area of Blake’s life was one ongoing nightmare which lasted  several years. The nightmare never stopped – it just kept changing his life. 

• Arrest Progressed Moon 25:25 Pisces opposition natal Sun 25:08 Virgo in his natal 12^th of self-undoing.

Diurnal criminal arrest.      As always, start with the angles and simplify, isolate for key positions. Expand beyond that if warranted or desired.

• Diurnal Ascendant 11:57 Gemini conjunct diurnal Saturn 12:07, widely opposed Pluto 17:24 Rx Sagittarius conjunct S Node 18:57 (Karmic).

Teaching Moment: While we are timing an event, such event is part of an ongoing process – so both the event and the overall process can both be visible within an aspect.

• Diurnal Ascendant / Saturn conjunction square natal Moon / Neptune conjunction, again the natal promise activated.
• Diurnal Neptune 10:49 Aquarius conjunct natal Saturn 10:16 Rx (Ouch! Reality / illusion check). Neptune / Saturn hard aspects have been termed “the dark night of the soul”. Hard aspects? Conjunction, opposition, or square.
• Diurnal Uranus 28:01 Aquarius conjunct natal N Node 28:30 (Karmic). Expect the unexpected!
• Four diurnal planets in the 12^th house reflecting (resonance) the three planets in the natal 12^th.

Teaching Moment: When an activating pattern repeats or mimics an existing natal pattern, there is a natural resonance between the chart patterns. Example: people born under Full Moons frequently resonate to naturally occurring Full Moons. I watched this repeatedly in one daughter’s life.

• Diurnal Sun 28:18 Aries conjunct natal Uranus 26:35 Rx. How would you like to live through a few days of such spotlights?

Progressed criminal acquittal: 

• Progressed Ascendant 11:40 Sagittarius square Neptune 12:19 Virgo and again the natal Moon / Neptune conjunction (promise activated).  
• Progressed Jupiter 16:23 Libra conjunct natal Libra Ascendant. Freedom!
• Progressed Venus 23 Capricorn 31 opposed progressed Pluto 24:32 Rx Cancer square natal and progressed Uranus and applying (ongoing). Oh-oh, Venus is his natal chart ruler, and that is a really difficult aspect. Acquittal sounds good – but by progression, the civil lawsuit is on its heels. 

Diurnal criminal acquittal.      As always, start with the angles.

• Diurnal Midheaven 16:10 Capricorn square natal Ascendant / Descendant 16:05 Aries/Libra.
• Diurnal Ascendant 29:33 Aries, 2.5 ˚ past square diurnal Mars, about 2 ½ days on that day’s chart.
• Diurnal Mars 26:57 Capricorn just passing square to natal Uranus (culminated during trial itself).
• Diurnal Moon 11:45 Gemini, square that natal Moon / Neptune conjunction, promise activated.

Teaching Moment: The diurnal Moon travels 1˚ in about two hours on the day’s clock.

• Those activations don’t sound positive. The acquittal outcome itself was a positive; but was immediately followed by the civil case (which Blake lost), causing him to declare bankruptcy.

Teaching Moment: Nothing teaches you astrology better than hands on. If you want to participate in the research, you can set diurnals for the onset of the civil case and its outcome. Your turn! Blake’s declaration of bankruptcy occurred in between the original guilty verdict with the $30 million penalty, and the appeal verdict affirming the guilt, but halving the penalty to $15 million.

Another Teaching Moment: This civil court case was bought by wife #2’s three children which, when using the Derivative House System and Blake’s charting, would make them the 5^th (child) of the 7^th (spouse). Since her 3^rd child happened to be Blake’s natural child, that child would also tie his natal 5^th to this very complicated child lawsuit package.

Diurnal bankruptcy filing:    As always, start with angles. The topic is now legal and personal.

• Diurnal Ascendant 21:52 conjunct Mercury, Neptune, and Sun from 14:32 to 20:05 Aquarius, again resonating to that 12^th house clustering in the natal chart, the self-undoing mechanism.
• Diurnal Ascendant square diurnal Jupiter 17:33 Scorpio in the 9^th house of courts and law.
• Diurnal Mars 23:10 Taurus separating opposed diurnal Jupiter; was most active when civil suit initiated, over the top financial award.
• Diurnal Midheaven 8:37 Sagittarius square natal Moon / Neptune conjunction, natal promise.
• Diurnal Uranus 9:16 Pisces opposed the natal Moon / Neptune conjunction, natal promise.
• Diurnal Venus 16:01 Capricorn squared natal Ascendant / Descendant axis. Neither Blake or his wife (she was dead) benefitted from this conclusion.

Teaching moment: Diurnal Bankruptcy Pluto 25:59 Sagittarius square natal Sun 25:08 Virgo in the natal 12^th of self-undoing.  While entitled self-undoing, in this instance it was a necessary action to take, but one that went against him publicly. It would be easy to miss the importance of this aspect.  Pluto and Mars co-rule the natal 2^nd house of money, with Mars in the natal 2^nd as well; again, the underlying promise of the natal activating as a bankruptcy.

And now for the conclusion of this very difficult life experience, the death of Michael James Vijencio Gubitosi: * “Blake died from heart disease in Los Angeles on March 9, 2023, at the age of 89.”

Progressions for Blake’s Date of Death:      Remember that progressions are the day for a year measure, so they play out over a longer period of time. They can therefore indicate an overall process. We are looking at the end stage of life. That can be a very gradual deterioration, rather than an abrupt event. Looking at his crossing over as a spiritual experience:

• Progressed Ascendant 26:49, conjunct both progressed Moon 22:47 and Sun 24:36 Sagittarius. The progressed Sagittarius clustering is a positive energy. It is, however, mostly in the progressed 12^th house, as the living spirit has gradually withdrawn from the outward physical manifestation. The Moon (fastest body) is applying to the emerging New Moon, perhaps indicating imminent respite from a hard life or probably a new beginning. However, that tight Sagittarius pattern is also square Blake’s natal Sun 25:08 Virgo, with natal Jupiter and Mercury in Libra conjunct that original solar grouping. Such groupings can act or react as a unit. Death is a complex subject. Humanity sees death as an ending. There are moments when death represents the end of suffering, or perhaps the new beginning.

Teaching Moment: Blake left this planet on a progressed eminent (applying) New Moon energy. An earlier study (“Roz” in my Diurnal workbook available on my website) surprisingly showed the physical death moment as a “birth” (or perhaps rebirth) into the spirit side of life. I have only seen that once in my 50+ years of astrology. That “rebirth” pattern just repeated in Blake’s progressed chart. Hmmm… perhaps time to pay attention to the universe.  

Another Teaching Moment: When a New Moon occurs in a progressing chart, an unusual karmic chart flip occurs. The Karmic Ascendant, which is always calculated from the Sun / Moon midpoint, flips signs across the chart when this progressing New Moon occurs. Up to that point, in my ignorance, I had thought Karma proceeded naturally and sequentially from the moment of birth until the moment of death. I found that was not so in reality. I was able to personally experience that moment when I realized the progressing New Moon was imminent in my own chart.

I placed myself on a local park bench and assumed meditation for the possibility of experience. That transitional moment was such a jolt, I was nearly knocked off that park bench by the energy. What had been my progressing Ascendant flipped by sign to its opposing point and set off my new progressing Karmic Ascendant and chart. It is difficult to not pay attention when you are nearly knocked to the ground! Blake died very close to a karmic flip moment; it emphasized the death / rebirth nature of that energy. Also, a slight correction in natal birth time might tighten that possibility even more.

• As if that were not enough, was there anything else, by progression? Yes. Progressing Venus 9:48 / Saturn 12:53 Aquarius is conjunct natal Saturn 10:16 Rx. Relational hell seemed to be the story of his life and I am hoping this resolution was part of his physical exit.  

Diurnal for Blake’s Date of Death: starting with angles

Teaching Moment: You can see both good and bad in a multiple activating pattern.   

• Blake physically died with his diurnal Ascendant 17:41 Aries bracketed by diurnal Jupiter and Venus 13:48 to 21:01 Aries; protective, even with the diurnal Moon applying to them by opposition 11:16 Libra, the second hand on our day’s clock.

Another Teaching Moment: the diurnal Moon could help to pinpoint time of day for event. I don’t know the time of day for this particular event; but advancing the diurnal Moon would be how to do it.

• Diurnal Moon 11:16 Libra that day would conjunct his natal Ascendant about ten hours after the 8:30 AM chart time (diurnal Moon travels 1˚ every two hours on the day’s clock). That would equate to about 6:30 PM. Note: Watch the time standard, as “where” might have to be factored in. Blake’s natal and all progressions and diurnals would be based on birth EDT. The place of death was Los Angeles, CA. Think through before deciding.

Another Teaching Moment: Cluster

• Seven diurnal planets within 75 contiguous degrees are in that diurnal 12^th house and Ascendant 1^st house areas and contain a four-planet Pisces stellium. (Cluster resonance to the natal.)
• Diurnal Neptune 24:52 Pisces squares his natal Sun. He died of heart disease. Neptune deteriorates, or drugs (common at the end of life) were involved.
• Add Diurnal Mars 22:39 Gemini, that makes it a T-square. Mars precipitates action: NOW!
• Diurnal Mercury 11:34 Pisces opposes his natal Moon / Neptune conjunction, NOW!
• Diurnal Uranus 15:49 Taurus (activator) opposes natal Mars 15:25 Scorpio (acted upon), lead up in timing. To me, this would sound more like an actual earlier heart attack. Unknown.
• Diurnal S Node 04:45 Rx Taurus conjuncts natal Venus (chart ruler) 3:26 Scorpio (Karmic).

Adieu Robert Blake. Thank you for your gift of talent. With the difficult life you lived, I hope you rest in peace!

Sourcing:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Blake_(actor)

Robert Blake: obituary

https://apnews.com/article/robert-blake-dies-ddf7a0c37dae4690ac82bf377e5aec70

IMDb Robert Blake

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0086706/bio/?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm

https://www.allmovie.com/artist/robert-blake-vn15283924

Blake Spouses

Sondra Blake (November 25, 1961 – September 12, 1983) (divorced, 2 children)

Bonnie Lee Bakley (November 19, 2000 – May 4, 2001) (her death, 1 child)

Pamela Hudak (April 2017 – February 28, 2019) (divorced)

Sondra Kerr Blake      https://www.mcphagwara.com/wiki/sondra-blake/

Bonny Lee Bakley, actress, born 7 June 1956, Morristown, NJ; died May 4, 2001, Studio City, CA.

On 4 May 2001, Bonny and Robert had dinner at Vitello’s, a Studio City restaurant. They returned to their car, but Blake went back into the restaurant to get a handgun that he had left there, a gun he was carrying as his wife was in fear for her life due to a threat. Bakley’s ten marriages: Robert Blake, John Ray, Glynn H. Wolfe, E. Robert Telufson, William Webber, Joseph Brooksher, Demart C. Besley, Robert Moon, Paul Gawron and Evangelos Paulakis.

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