Sanford and 'Strology

Sanford & 'Strology

This will be the first in a series of blog posts in which I explore the role of Astrology in works of fiction such as television shows, comic books, literature, and other sources. 

Today we will be discussing Sanford and Son, Season 3 Episode 2 Libra Rising All Over Lamont. 

In this episode, Lamont feels that he is in a rut and needs life direction. So, on the recommendation of his friend Rollo, he goes to visit an Astrologer named Miss Audrey in order to learn more about his true personality. Miss Audrey takes a look at his birth information which Lamont copied out of the family bible which is given as September 27th, 1940 at 5:50 AM. Using only this information and without producing a Natal Chart, Miss Audrey discerns that Lamont is a Libra and his Ascendant, or Rising Sign is Libran as well - making him a double Libran. 

Miss Audrey explains that "This means that you should strive for harmony and equilibrium. Peace is the keyword for you. You shouldn’t argue with anyone at all if you can help it."  She then asks if he has to haggle a lot in his work (in the junk business) and Lamont says no but that he does argue a lot with his father, Fred, who constantly insults him. Miss Audrey explains to Lamont that "Libra is the scales, balance, harmony, equilibrium.  You can’t help but being in a rut if you’re always arguing. You are living in direct contradiction to yourself. You’re never going to get your life together until you start establishing peach and harmony especially in your home."  

Interestingly, if we produce a Natal Chart using the birth information given in the episode and assuming that Lamont was born in Los Angeles it does in fact show that he has these placements. 

With this advice, Lamont goes home and tries to get along with his father who believes that he is dying after having eaten eight-day old collard greens. In reality, Fred really just has an acute case of gastritis. Lamont tries to get along with his father and appease him but Fred continues to insult him. Fred, believing that he is dying, examines his life by looking through old photo albums and the family bible. When Aunt Ester stops by to pray for Fred they all begin to talk about the past and the circumstances surrounding Lamont's birth. It is Aunt Ester who reveals that Lamont was actually born in the evening and not in the morning as the family bible suggests owning to Fred's bad handwriting. 

With this information, Lamont visits Miss Audrey again who explains that this makes him an Aries Rising. She explains that he is a "born warrior, a general, and commander." She advises him to "be assertive and not let anyone sway you or talk you out of your ideas." Lamont returns home and instead of coddling his father, he orders Fred to get out of bed and go fix supper to which Fred acquiesces ---  but mainly to get away from Aunt Ester and her prayer group who have surrounded his bed to pray over him again. 

Again, using this new birth time we get the following Natal Chart which indicates that Lamont does have Aries Rising. 

Looking at this corrected chart, Lamont has the South Node in the First House meaning he is no stranger to being assertive and independent. Stubbornness, assertiveness, impulsiveness, and independence are qualities that he has brought into his present life from his previous one. This is his comfort zone and behavior that he often falls back on but which  he also needs to evolve from. The South Node in the First House, automatically puts his North Node in the 7th House. This indicates that, in this life, Lamont needs to grow towards diplomacy, compromise, open-mindedness, and nurturing his relationships with others --- which is exactly what he is doing by getting along with his father (although there may be some co-dependency issues between them.) 

This episode aired on September 21st 1973 making Lamont 33 years old. By this time in his life, Lamont had already experienced his first Saturn Return which occurred on May 29th 1970.  The Saturn Return is seen as a time of maturity in a person's life. It occurs around the individual's 29th birthday. At this age, Lamont should have already asked himself the big questions of life, but we can see how his emotional growth could have been stunted by his father. 

Although Lamont's 10th house is empty, meaning there are no planets in it, we can still glean some information from the sign on the 10th cusp. With Capricorn in the 10th house we can divine that Lamont is ambitious with a strong desire for worldly success. He wants to achieve recognition and elevate his status in life. We, the viewer, know from watching the show that Lamont aspires to do more with his life but stays in the  junk business in order to appease his father. 

There are several episodes in which Lamont tries to strike out on his own or pursue his own interests. For example in the previous episode Lamont As Othello, Lamont gets a part in Shakespeare's Othello playing against a white woman - which irks his father Fred. As you can see from the chart above, Lamont has his Moon in Leo and the 5th house. This shows that Lamont expresses his emotions in big, dramatic ways and he enjoys the attention that he gets from how he expresses himself. 

With a majority of his planets in the Northern and Western Hemispheres, Lamont is someone who is private, introverted, and withdrawn who needs someone to motivate or prod him into action. If I were his astrologer, I would encourage Lamont to continue his efforts at acting. What advice would you offer Lamont if you were his astrologer?

Carolina Dean