Brian Wilson (June 20, 1942)

Rosanna and I were discussing people with mental health issues, and she wanted to know if there were any consistent astrological patterns that would help us to understand what was going on. We shared a few names, but nothing showed up significantly enough to warrant a post on this site.

Then, as I was driving back from a doctor’s appointment this morning, “Hold On” by Wilson Phillips came on the radio. Of course, Brian Wilson!

Okay, I wasn’t expecting it to be so clear cut, but the cluster of planets around his Taurus Ascendant was exactly what I was looking for. Notice that there are no inconjuncts, but the Mars/Pluto conjunction, in opposition to the Midheaven, may be the cause of his mental health issues.

You have a very strong will, although you may express it in subtle ways. If you don’t get your way, you may lose your temper, but when you see that that will get you nowhere, you change your tactics. The greatest problem with this aspect is that you may decide that getting your own way is the most important thing in life and that the only way to get it is by controlling others. But in that case people are likely to gang up on you and try to stop you at every turn, which will make you feel very frustrated and even further from attaining your objectives.

Planets in Youth (page 237) by Robert Hand (1977)

Maybe, the Saturn/Uranus conjunction with his Ascendant could be his rebellious attitude toward his father.

Wilson, along with his siblings, suffered psychological and sporadic physical maltreatment from their father. His 2016 memoir characterizes his father as “violent” and “cruel”; however, it also suggests that certain narratives about the mistreatment had been overstated or unfounded.

Wikipedia

We never know how it is for another person until we walk a mile in his moccasins. At any rate, he even had a song written about him.

Hmm.