Anne Hoff: How did you meet Ida Rolf?
Diane Clarke: I was introduced to her through a mutual friend, Dani Starr, who had been a restaurateur in New York City. Dani and I had connected at Rio Caliente, a health retreat near Guadalajara, Mexico, where I was doing an astrology lecture. He subsequently came to visit me at my home in San Diego, ended up falling in love with the city and soon moved there. When he decided to go back to NYC in the summer of 1978 for a visit, he asked me to go along with him. Since Dani was associated with a number of Rolfing practitioners there, we ended up staying at the Rolfing Center part of the time. We also spent time with his close friend Owen James and Owen’s wife, Heather, who was also a Rolfing practitioner. One night there was a social gathering at their home and Ida Rolf was one of the guests.
Even though she was in a wheelchair at the time, she exuded a powerful presence when she entered a room—Ida had an impressive aura and big energy! Everybody was very respectful and in awe of her—they treated her with great reverence, deference and admiration. There was quite an imperious dimension to her. [It made sense when I looked at her chart later, because her rising sign, or ascendant, was in the last degree of Leo—a fully-bloomed Leo personality!] Ida carried herself much like the “queen bee” that she was. She commanded much power and authority. Personality-wise, she was also very feisty, very inquisitive—and very aware of everything that was going on around her.
We hit it off right away, and it didn’t take too long for the subject of astrology to come up. I found her to be extremely alert and astrologically-aware. She told me that she hadn’t had her chart done for many years, but had always been very interested in the subject. I explained to her that I utilized a different system of astrology than was traditionally used—the “clockwise house system” based on the work of Carl Payne Tobey. She said, “You know, I think we need a different system, as I don’t see the astrology that we’ve been using as being that valid or useful. Although I know there is much truth in it, I’ve had a real battle with the way it’s being practiced these days.” So she asked me to explain to her the approach that I used, which is based on ancient Sumerian and Babylonian astrology and has been kept alive by certain secret societies over the millenniums. Well, she absolutely loved this approach and it resonated with her so much that she asked if I would give her an astrological reading based on this system. So that’s how our relationship began!
I was so delighted to have this connection with her, particularly since I had undergone a series of Rolfing sessions myself many years earlier—and had found it to be a profoundly transformative experience. It was a thrill for me to be able to give something back to her! At the same time, it was quite validating for me to receive her support, interest and encouragement for my work at a time when I felt at odds with the traditional astrological community. There wasn’t much experimentation, questioning or deviating from standard dogma at that time, and I’d felt like such a misfit amongst others in this field. She gave me the courage to continue on with my research, to pioneer these concepts and to follow my own truth. This meant a lot coming from her, being such a pioneer herself and so unafraid to champion what she believed in. She will always have a special place in my heart.
Ida Rolf was born on May 19, 1896 with her natal Sun placed in the very last degree of Taurus (once again, in full bloom!). Just as Taurus is a fixed earth sign, Ida was a very down-to-earth individual with strong, fixed opinions. She had tremendous willpower and stamina, and was highly practical and grounded. At the same time, she could be very firm, stubborn and obstinate. She certainly wasn’t someone who could be pushed around! Venus, the ruling planet of her sun sign, was also in Taurus. As with most people who have significant Taurean placements, she highly valued her home, family and community—family, in particular, meant a lot to her. It seemed to me that she considered all the Rolfing practitioners and people that she worked with as her extended family.
Using an equal house chart, both her Sun and Venus fall in the 9th house of her horoscope—the area of the chart associated with education, knowledge, religion and philosophy. Those with this particular placement are usually big thinkers, enthusiastic and straightforward; they tend to have strong beliefs, a well developed faith and a great desire to share the truth as they see it. They oft en have come into this lifetime carrying a particular message—and can become great teachers and communicators. Ida was no exception to this! Her mind was very active and she thrived on studying and learning. She was impressively well-read and drew information from a variety of sources, seeming to know something about a lot of different things. Quite opinionated, she had no qualms about expressing her mind— and she clearly wanted to be heard.
With her Leo ascendant, she had a magnetic, even regal, presence and a lot of charm when she wanted to turn it on. She could turn it off just as fast though, when she was feeling ignored. She certainly liked being the center of attention! Her Moon was also in Leo, along with Jupiter—she had a colorful personality, was playful and liked to laugh a lot. Ida exuded much vitality and warmth when surrounded by her adoring students and admirers and seemed to live her life with fl air and pizzazz. At the same time, she could be quite the drama queen! With her Moon in Leo being the focal point of a fixed T-square involving both the Sun and Venus in Taurus, and Saturn and Uranus in Scorpio, she could roar like a lion when things weren’t going her way. And she could be quite touchy and sensitive, oft en taking things very personally and getting her feelings hurt when she felt disrespected or unsupported.
The opposition between her planets in Taurus and Scorpio seems to explain some of the contradictions in her makeup. The nature of Taurus tends to be gentle, supportive and comforting, whereas the Scorpio nature is more focused on achieving goals and taking charge. Scorpio energy can come across as secretive, intimidating and controlling when it doesn’t feel empowered or is out of balance. When these two forces aren’t in harmony with each other, conflicts and power struggles can be the result… and it did seem that she had her share of those. I know that it was very important to her that she had control, that things were done in certain, specific ways. With her Venus-Saturn opposition, she had high expectations of people and situations, and became very disappointed and resentful when they let her down. I’m presuming that it would’ve been challenging to live up to her expectations, as she could be quite demanding. Was she known in Rolfing circles for being that way?
AH: Yes, I think so.
DC: I’m sure that she provided much support and encouragement to those individuals who were aligned with her thinking. But for those who weren’t… well, she probably didn’t have much room in her life for them. It seems that she had encountered many who didn’t like what she was doing or approve of her methods, but she was used to having to stand up and fight for what she believed in. Once she set her course, it would have been difficult to stop her…kind of a human steamroller! With her Sun-Uranus opposition, there’s no question that she had a rebellious, revolutionary spirit. She seemed to enjoy challenging the system and doing things her way. It was probably difficult in the relationship department for her because of her independent, individualistic approach to life; she could be quite uncompromising and abrupt with those who disagreed with her. Freedom of thought and action was high on her list (it must’ve been very tough on her to be confined to a wheelchair in her later years). And with her North Node in Aquarius, it was definitely her calling in life to bring about change, question authority, upset the status quo and do things differently. She saw the world in unique ways and was really ahead of her time. And she was such an interesting and unforgettable character!
Another significant aspect of her horoscope is the potent conjunction of Mercury, Neptune and Pluto in Gemini—the sign associated with inquisitiveness, versatility, ideas and information. Gemini is a sign of duality, representing the hands, as well as the mind. Placed in her 10th house (career, power and leadership), this particular conjunction describes her great curiosity, her talent with her hands and her communication skills, which she used with great success in her professional life. This planetary configuration also indicates a mind that is imaginative, mystical, investigative and transformative. Ida certainly had some powerful information to impart to the world and she spent her entire life doing just that.
She came across as very witty, mentally playful and conversational; she was extremely easy to talk with. Ida was spicy —she had a sharp tongue (perhaps due to her Mercury-Mars square) and didn’t mince words. When she felt that things weren’t going her way, she would speak her mind and say it just like it was. She was very outspoken and blunt! At the same time, I sensed deep sensitivity and emotional depth to her. The close sextile aspect between her Sun in Taurus and Mars in Pisces provided her with immense compassion, as well as energy and healing ability.
One of the challenges that I had with Ida was her insistence on knowing when she was going to die. Somehow, she felt that astrology should be a source for that information and that I should be able to tell her. No matter how many times I explained to her that this issue was not in my realm of experience, expertise or interest, she kept badgering me. She didn’t want to take no for an answer!
AH: Why do you think she wanted to know that?
DC: Probably because she felt that her death was fairly imminent [she did pass on the following year]—and that there were a number of things she wanted to make sure were taken care of beforehand. She wanted to make sure the professional reins were in good hands. She was very concerned about things being done correctly and properly, that the right people were taking care of business, and it wasn’t getting into the hands of people who weren’t doing it the way they were supposed to. She had clear opinions about how it needed to be done and wanted to make sure everything was in order. At eighty-two years old, she was still running the show! She openly admitted that she had a problem delegating, and that’s what she was working on. She wanted to make sure that her loose ends were tied up. All I was able to do was give her some tips and timing as to how to make the most of the near future. I recall that there were some important progressions and transits passing through her 10th house (career and public image) at the time, so it was all about getting things under control, and that’s what she was focused on. There were also some family concerns. It’s hard to remember the details—this was over twenty years ago!
Ida Rolf’s horoscope is a very powerful one, and certainly lines up with how her life evolved over the years. She was fully-expressed in this lifetime! With the majority of her planets in fixed signs, she was a very steadfast, loyal and determined individual. No wonder she lived so long and accomplished so much. All but two of her planets were above the horizon when she was born, indicating a life lived mostly out in the world, in the public spotlight— she was designed for it! It’s interesting to note that in her chart, the Ascendant, Sun, Mars and North Node all fall in the last degrees of their respective signs, something karmic astrology interprets as being a very old soul—somebody who was on this planet to make a major contribution. I never did hear her story of how she discovered and developed Rolfing, but I suspect it had something to do with her own body or with family on some level. With her Taurus Sun, Leo rising and Leo Moon, it had to have been something very personal. Do you know what led her into it?
AH: I believe it was some family medical issues she was dealing with that led her to research things, but as I understand it she was kind of closed-mouth about how she actually did develop Rolfing. People know bits and pieces but not the whole story.
DC: Interesting. Despite her sunny exterior and her communicative nature, deep down she was quite a private person. With Saturn, Uranus and the Part of Fortune all in Scorpio, she did keep her own counsel in many ways. She had a rich interior life and delved quite deeply into whatever caught her interest. With Saturn in her 3rd house, she was serious-minded and disciplined in her thought processes. Uranus, also in her 3rd house, gave her an openness to unusual ideas and progressive approaches —an indication of a very inventive, original thinker. It’s highly likely that she had the innate ability to tap into universal consciousness and actually channeled this information. There are many indications in her chart that she was capable of tuning in to the higher realms. Looking at her chart from a reincarnation perspective, she may have had a significant incarnation in Egyptian times—which was the Age of Taurus. Perhaps she was carrying this information in her phylogenetic memory banks or was able to tune into some ancient body wisdom. Whatever the case, she certainly was the bearer of many gift s. Her focus on realigning the body’s structure in relationship to gravity seems to be truly aligned with her Taurus “roots,” the sign associated with solidarity, stability and structure. This is also the sign of the builder —and she definitely built a solid practice and a foundation which continues on to this day. And we are all the better for it!
AH: Thank you very much.
Diane Clarke is an astrological and feng shui consultant currently living in Las Vegas. She can be contacted at (702) 737-5636, or through www.starsage.com, her website. Anne Hoff is a Certified Advanced Rolfer now living and practicing in Seattle.
THE ROLF INSTITUTE FROM AN ASTROLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
By Diane Clark
The Rolf Institute was founded by Ida Rolf on May 27, 1971 in San Francisco, California. It came into being under the sign Gemini, which is associated with communication, connectivity and circulation.
The breath, as well as the hands, are also associated with this Sun sign—very appropriate for an organization whose role is to reach out and make contact with others. This chart has a grand trine in air signs, involving the Sun in Gemini, Mars in revolutionary Aquarius, and Uranus in Libra, the sign of balance and harmony: there will always be lots of ideas and information breezing about.
The Moon is in Cancer (its own home) and indicates a nurturing, feeling and tenacious nature. Mercury and Venus are in earthy Taurus, along with Saturn, which falls on Ida Rolf’s Sun in Taurus —it’s certainly her light that has contributed to the solidarity and longevity of this community. The Jupiter/Neptune conjunction in Sagittarius is opposed to the Sun in Gemini, suggesting that the identity of this organization has undergone numerous shifts and clarifications of purpose over the years. It also indicates an outreach that is international in scope.
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Ida Rolf’s Astrology Chart[:]
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