Buffy Sainte-Marie

INTRODUCTION

Buffy Sainte-Marie rose to fame in the 1960s as an indigenous folk musician. She later added rock elements to her music. She has won many awards, such as an Oscar, a Juno, and is a member of the Order of Canada.

Her authorized biography states she was “probably born” on the Piapot First Nation reserve near Regina, Saskatchewan. On 27 October, a CBC report was released questioning her claims of native ancestry.[1] The report states that she was born Beverley Santamaria on 20 February 1941 to an Italian-American father and a mother whose origins were probably English. The father changed the name to Saint-Marie to avoid anti-Italian prejudice because of WWII.

The acting chief of Piapot First Nation said, “When it comes to Buffy specifically, we can’t pick and choose which part of our culture we decide to adhere to.… We do have one of our families in our community that did adopt her. Regardless of her ancestry, that adoption in our culture to us is legitimate.”[2]

Sainte-Marie’s birth certificate states she was born in Stoneham, Massachusetts, at 03:15, 20 February 1941. My objective is not to justify nor vilify her but rather prove the chart. I will look at these events going on now to see if they align with the chart based on the time and place marked on the birth certificate.

BUFFY’S PRESUMED CHART

She is a Pisces Sun, Sagittarius Moon and Sagittarius rising. Interestingly, she has Mars in the first house, meaning she is a fighter. She has been an activist for indigenous rights throughout her whole career. That sentiment is echoed by having Libra on the Midheaven, which is the sign of equality and balance. Libra also represents the arts. Libra is ruled by Venus, which is in the second house of values and is the revolutionary sign of Aquarius.

The true test of a birth chart’s validity is it correlates to transits, progressions, and solar arcs of a major event in the person’s life.

TRANSITS

Here are the transits when the report came out. The time I found an article that came out on 20 October 2023 at 11:36.

Transiting Eclipse/Nodes

The Midheaven is our career and public persona. The transiting previous solar eclipse (14 October 2023) is 3 degrees off her Midheaven. Eclipse can bring about powerful events in the person’s life, with the nature of the event depending on what point it connects to. Uranus is making a quincunx aspect to the eclipse, bringing sudden surprises requiring adjustments to be made.

When the news was released, the transiting South Node (24°56’), meaning a person’s past, was on the Midheaven (24°19’), with the North Node being on the fourth house cusp of family and roots.

Transiting Mars/Jupiter Return/Jupiter opposite Saturn

Transiting Mars is precisely opposite Jupiter, the ruler of her Ascendant and Saturn, the ruler of Capricorn, which is intercepted in the first house. The Ascendant, or first house, is the mask people wear to meet the world. An intercepted sign could be considered the hidden mask or a facet of the person. Mars rules the fourth house of family and roots and is the planet of war. The symbolism coming up here is the challenge of her ethnicity and upbringing.

At the same time, transiting Jupiter is going over her natal Jupiter. This is known as the Jupiter return, which happens every 12 years, signifying a new phase in one’s life. Since Jupiter rules her Ascendant for her, it means she needs to examine who she is. This transit started at the end of June and will finish at the end of February 2024.

Transiting Jupiter also hits her Saturn. This transit can be about a vision for your future. According to the CBC article released in August[3], she announced her retirement from live performances, citing health issues. This is also a first house issue since Saturn is a co-ruler of her first house.

Transiting Saturn on the Sun

Transiting Saturn is going over her Sun. It started in March, but this time from 17 September 2023 and will leave the aspect around 20 December 2023. Saturn is the reality check, and the Sun is her identity. She’s being asked to look at who she really is. She has to make several adjustments to refine herself. Because Saturn is the co-ruler of the first house, this transit is related to her identity and her health.

SOLAR ARCS

Solar Arcs are if you take the Sun’s movement in a day (~1 degree) and move all the planets and points in the chart forward by the same amount that represents a year of time.

Solar Arc Eclipse Conjunct Ascendant

The eclipse is a powerful event. When it hits the Ascendant, there will be an event of transformation of the self. Based on the time of birth, this event occurred in April 2023. There may have been an event that is not publicly known. We will not know.

Pluto on the Midheaven

Pluto on the Midheaven mirrors the Eclipse and South Node on her Midheaven. The planet of death, Pluto, is on the tenth house cusp, suggesting her career is transforming, and her public image may be transformed. This event can be interpreted as the retirement from live performance, especially now that there is all this controversy.

CONCLUSION

It seems the chart reflects the ongoing events of today, and therefore, intimates the time is good. We would have to check other events in her life to see if the chart holds water. I looked at a couple of events, like winning the Order of Canada and her Oscar, and found they lined up with the chart.

[1] https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/features/buffy-sainte-marie

[2] https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/buffy-sainte-marie-reaction-piapot-1.7011149

[3] https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/buffy-sainte-marie-retirement-1.6927482