Bono Vox
 

The singer of U2, one of the greatest rock groups in the history of music, as well as a leader since birth, he conquered the public with his sincerity, his charm and his political and humanitarian activities.

Bono Vox, whose real name is Paul David Hewson, was born on May 10, 1960 in Dublin, Ireland. He was born under the sign of conservative and musically-gifted Taurus. His ascendant is in Capricorn and his Moon is in the sign of obsessive and magnetically attractive Scorpio. Before his birth, a fortune teller had told his mother Iris that the child she would bring into the world would become very famous. The stars confirm this prediction, for in Bono Vox’s chart, the Moon, an indicator of popularity, is in close contact with charismatic Neptune. Powerful Pluto is in the house of the public (7^th) while the Sun, symbol of the ego, Mercury, planet of language, and Venus, protector of the arts, are found in the sign of music-loving Taurus, in the house of communication (3^rd). This indicates a born orator and stage personality. This is also the reason why a child born to an ordinary family, with a Catholic father who worked for the post office and a Protestant mother, would become such a powerful and charismatic person, capable of persuading others to his own convictions. However, stern professor Saturn, ruler of his horoscope, is found close to the Ascendant. This is the most important point of his natal chart. It takes Saturn about 28 or 29 years to complete a revolution around the Sun. This is why Bono Vox would very well remember all of its cycles, which took place every seven years. In other terms, the events that took place in his 14^th, 21^st and 28^th year (and every seven years thereafter) would be marked by destiny, whereas during his childhood up until the age of seven, Saturn at the Ascendant provoked health problems. Thus, his family confirms that Paul did not stop crying until he was three years old. His parents took him to have all possible tests performed, as doctors suspected his problem was linked to his heart. Many years later, an internationally known cardiologist would inform him that he probably suffered from a rare anomaly of the heart, but could live a completely normal life in spite of it.

Bono Vox’s father, Bob Hewson, said:

“I remember when he was about 3, only a toddler. He was out in the back garden. He went over to a flower with a bee. He put it on his finger, lifted the bee up, talked to the bee, and put it back again. He probably doesn’t remember it, I don’t think I ever mentioned it, but I can remember to this day the horror of my wife and myself. He could go from flower to flower picking up bees and never got stung. Amazing, isn’t it?”

Astrologically speaking, this is nothing surprising, for the close contact between the Moon and Neptune, planet of spirituality and Universal Love, creates personalities that experience nature in a different way than ordinary people. This is even more apparent during childhood, as children are more open towards the world around them and feel that they are one with it.

However, the Moon, symbol of the mother, located in Scorpio, a sign linked to birth, death and metamorphoses, indicates that Bono Vox came into this life full of fear from his previous life, the fear of losing those he loved. Destiny plunged him into situations in which he would have to confront his deepest fears, in order to heal. Therefore, when he was just 14 years old (Saturn cycle), Bono Vox lost his mother in a very strange manner. She was the victim of a cerebral attack while attending the funeral of her own father, the grandfather who Bono loved very much. She died four days later. He says on the subject:

“Those were the worst days of my life. I read the Bible and prayed to God that my mother would not die. I remember how they took us to say goodbye to her, my father Norman and I. Then they unplugged the devices that kept her alive. We all went in, we said goodbye and the button was pressed. I had the feeling that the entire house was crumbling around me, as if I no longer had a home.”

This event would have a big influence on the songs that he would write later. In addition, the early loss of his mother would create the link between him and Larry Mullen, the man who formed U2 and became its drummer.

Nevertheless, Bono Vox made his debut with the group Lypton Village. While with this group, he took on the pseudonym under which he would become famous worldwide. All group members had to choose stage names that were supposed to express their individuality. Restless and talkative, Paul Hewson was called Bono Vox by the members of Lypton Village. Some people say that this name was inspired by a dog food. Others confirm that this name comes from a brand of hearing aids that was then being sold in Dublin. Whatever the case, Bono Vox is a Latin expression that means “good voice”. The irony here is that he did not earn this nickname because of his good voice—he was not yet singing—but because of the fact that he never stopped talking.

Although he was exceptionally restless, Bono was loved by his fellow students, excelled in his history class, played chess well, drew well and participated in the school’s theatre troupe.

When Jupiter, planet of happiness, traversed his sign, Taurus, in 1976, it activated his natal Venus, planet of art, his natal Mercury, planet of communication, and his natal Sun, symbol of individuality. This marked the beginning of his artistic career. At the same time, Larry Mullen Junior brought together guitarist Dave Evans and bassist Adam Clayton to create the group U2. Bono Vox was included not for his musical talents but for his strong individuality and his charisma. Although Larry Mullen had formed the group, he intuited that Bono Vox had the ability to attract attention and gave him the place of leader. Bono, responding in a responsible manner, began to write songs and learn how to sing. He said about his music:

“I have never tried to write this thing called a song that’s played on radios all around the world, that window-cleaners hum, that people listen to in traffic jams. I was never interested in song: U2 came about through a sound.”

Altogether honest on his part: due to the influence of Mercury and Venus in his horoscope, he is above all an actor, entertainer and orator, and then a singer.

It is perhaps thanks to this that U2 is one of those rare groups that stay together after more than thirty years. U2 swept away preconceptions as to what a rock group can or cannot do. Combining an original sound, authentic lyrics, feelings and introducing a social message, U2 commands respect from the public and critics.

Even though, at the beginning of his career, Bono Vox played the clown on stage, climbing on the scaffolding with the members of his band and provoking disorder during the filming of several commercials, he is a respected man today. He writes music for films, speaks openly about what he likes and does not like in politics during his concerts, and participates actively in several humanitarian actions, for example: by giving the proceeds from the song Miss Sarajevo to children who were victims of the war. Apart from maturity, such a change inside Bono is due to Bob Geldof, the organizer of an aid concert for children in Africa suffering from hunger. He invited Bono Vox to sing part of the song Do they know it’s Christmas. After participating in Live Aid in 1984, Bono was not the same. The tragedy of the Ethiopian people touched him so deeply that he passed a month in Ethiopia with his wife to help children living in a shelter. In fact, at that time, Pluto in transit activated the aspect of his horoscope between the Moon, symbol of feelings, and Neptune, planet of supreme love. People having this aspect are very sensitive, generous and compassionate to the pain of others. This is why they often seek to escape from reality through art or in monasteries. Nevertheless, on the other hand, they love compliments, even when they do not deserve them. Here, one must not forget neither the Ascendant nor Saturn in Capricorn, which show Bono has good business sense. It is perhaps because of this, perhaps only for humanitarian reasons, that his wife launched the brand EDUN, with the declared goal of developing trade and combating child labor.

In November 1999, Khofi Annan, secretary general of the United Nations, addressed these words to Bono Vox:

“You have made people listen. You have made people care, and you have taught us that whether we are poor or prosperous, we have only one world to share. You have taught young people that they do have the power to change the world.”

Truly a great gesture of recognition and a very precise observation made by Khofi Annan.

Rich and famous, even though he could have any woman he wanted, Bono Vox seems to know that his wife is the one that the stars said would change his life and bring him luck. More precisely, in 1982 Jupiter, planet of happiness, crossed his natal Moon, symbol of feelings and the wife, and his natal Neptune, symbol of the imagination. This indicates that Bono saw something surreal in Alison Stewart, the accomplishment of his romantic dreams. Even though he married at only 22 years old in 1982, Bono has been at least up to now a faithful and monogamous man, who takes care of his family, his wife and his four children, Perhaps his destroyed childhood home is the reason behind his efforts to preserve his current home, perhaps his Taurean nature, aspiring towards comfort and appalled by change, also helps him. Whatever the case, his motto is the following:

“Work like you don’t need money, love like you’ve never been hurt, and dance like no one’s watching.”

Mick Jagger, when presenting the MTV Free Your Mind award in November 1999, had good reason to make the statement:

“He’s a poet. He’s a philosopher. And last night, I think I saw him walking on water...”

 

 
 

 
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