Dual Nature: A Way of Life

U2's frontman Bono is a rocker with staying power, but like many musicians who hit big in the intense but often embarrassing '80s (yes, he wore a spikey 'do in U2's early days), Bono has had his share of growing pains. U2's much anticipated new CD, which came out this Halloween, is reported to be the one that brings the Irish quartet back to their passionate rock roots.

Looking at Bono's chart, it is probably especially hard for this charismatic singer to find his true roots—his true self—because his deepest nature is full of contradictions. Bono was born with Sun in Taurus, and has two other personal planets in this strong, solid sign. Mercury, planet of communication, is conjunct (at close degree) his Venus (planet of art and love), also in Taurus. This aspect suggests that Bono's Taurean side is compelled to articulate the gentle nuances of long-term love. One of the band's well-known hits, "With or Without You," from 1987's The Joshua Tree, explores the difficulty of loving someone you can't let go of (something that's particularly hard for tenacious Taureans), but who you also can't live with.

Some of the angst in Bono's songs comes from the planets in his chart in the opposite sign: Scorpio. Unlike Taurus, Scorpio is big on burning bridges and learning by destroying what it has and then resourcefully building a new life. (Metaphorically, that is. Though in some Scorpios’ cases, literally!)

Bono’s Neptune (planet of fantasy and illusion) is opposite his romantic Venus and Mercury in Taurus. The Taurus part of his nature would like to feel internally settled in love, while his Neptune in Scorpio is pulling him toward torturous images of what might never be and of what was and can never be again. Poetic, but painful, baby!

Bono also has Moon in Scorpio, which makes him particularly able to keep his true self a secret. (How many scandals surround him personally? None.) He can also keep secrets for others. After all, this mega-star was able to help Salman Rushdie stay hidden during his years in exile.

From Boy to Man

Bono has also "grown" into his chart in recent years. He has Jupiter and Saturn in persistent Capricorn, the sign that rules government and working within the system. In fact, his Saturn is "exalted" in Capricorn (the planet rules this sign) and makes a nice trine (harmonious aspect) to Bono's Sun. Some might say he's a born politician. But like most folks with strong Capricorn in their chart, he's had to earn his stripes. He's always been politically active, from responding to the ongoing violence in Ireland (particularly on 1983’s War album) to Live-Aid, but in recent times he's hunkered down to do some very unglamorous but necessary political work.

With his wife Ali, he's become a crusader for third-world debt relief. When he was interviewed about it in the New York Times Magazine on October 8, 2000, he was asked how he boned up on the issues before meeting with government officials. This was part of his response: "Sadly, I do my homework. I've a soft spot for the boring minutiae. I read the charter of the United Nations…I'm aware that it's a lot more glamorous to be on the barricade with a handkerchief around your nose than it is to be at the meeting with a briefcase and a bowler hat, but I think that we're getting more done this way." 

Why So Long Since Their Last CD?

U2's last CD was 1997's Pop, which preceded the overly ironic (and perhaps less-than-successful in the eyes of older fans) "Popmart" tour. Since the tour before that, the "Zoo tour" (in support of 1993's Zooropa) was equally glitzy, Bono had started to run the risk of becoming a parody of himself, as he tried to satirize the circus-like atmosphere of corporate-owned rock and roll.

After Pop, the planets seemed to conspire to make Bono re-think his approach to music, his band's overblown rock super-group image and the whole "pop" world. In December 1997, during the war in Bosnia, he collaborated with opera singer Luciano Pavarotti to open the first Bosnian music school for children. This altruistic event took place just as Jupiter (planet of generosity and expansion) was squaring  Bono's Sun (public image) and Mercury (communication). At the same time, Uranus (major progressive change) in altruistic Aquarius was squaring Bono's Venus and Neptune. A lesser man might have misused this period, since squares can be tough challenges, and whined about being "misunderstood" in the pop world, or prattled on in some other self-indulgent rock star way. But thankfully, Bono rose to the astrological occasion to make an effort to help others, not just himself.

From May 1999 to May 2000, tough Saturn was hovering over all of Bono's Taurus planets. This past spring, generous Jupiter passed over those same planets and balanced out Saturn's sometimes morose influence, finally showing Bono the way out of this heavy cycle. Perhaps that's when he penned the first single from U2's new album, “Beautiful Day.”

What's in the Stars For U2's Latest CD?

On the day of the new CD's release, Halloween, 2000, aggressive and combative Mars was in critical Virgo opposite Bono's Mars in soulful Pisces. It's possible Bono may feel another pang of being misunderstood as critics and DJs applaud his craft and workmanship (Virgo assets) but gloss over his depth and compassion (Pisces traits). Hopefully, after the internally turbulent and growth-inducing years Bono has just lived through, he has learned to enjoy his accomplishments in true Taurus style, rather than suffer over them in Scorpio style. With his own chart pulled in these polar directions, though, it's likely that some part of Bono will always be quietly singing "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For."