Biography He was part of a large family and had four brothers and one sister. The family moved to Appleton, Wisconsin in 1878 when Houdini was four years old and for the rest of his life he claimed this was where he was born. They were very poor and eventually moved to New York. At 17 he formed a magic act with a friend and they called themselves The Houdini Brothers. After a couple of years Houdini married and his wife Bess became his partner in the act which was renamed The Houdinis. Over the next few years the act changed from magic and traditional illusions to tricks and escapology. His handcuff act made him famous and after that he continued with ever more daring and dangerous escapes. In Houdini's first successful trick he would swallow several needles and a length of thread. When regurgitated the needles were all threaded. Houdini became the most famous handcuff escapologist at the time. The methods he used were to either conceal keys about his person or to use trick handcuffs. Houdini also did rope and straightjacket acts which required much more strength and agility. He would use a small knife to cut through the ropes or when bound in an unfamiliar straightjacket. Houdini's water tricks were his most dramatic and he would have drowned if something went wrong before his assistants could help him. In his most famous water trick he was bound in chains and lowered upside down into a glass tank of water which was then concealed from the audience. After several minutes the curtains would be drawn back to reveal an empty tank and Houdini alive and well. Houdini had a great talent for self promotion and did his best to attract attention wherever he went. When on tour he offered money to people who could explain how he did certain tricks or if they could restrain him successfully. When on tour he bought a German biplane which was dismantled, transported and rebuilt in Australia where it was the first plane to be flown. Houdini could see the publicity value of films and in 1919 he set up the Houdini Pictures Corporation. He produced and starred in the films and did all his own stunts. He also published many books on how he did some of his tricks while increasing speculation about how his other tricks were accomplished. Houdini became interested in spiritualism when his mother died and incorporated some spiritualist aspects to his act. However, he did believe in some kind of afterlife and gave a ten word code to his wife which would provide proof after his death. Although many mediums claimed to have been contacted by him none have been able to repeat the code. Houdini died at the age of 52 on Halloween 1926. The cause of death was peritonitis from a ruptured appendix. It is thought that this may have been caused through him showing off his ability to withstand blows to the stomach and on this occasion he was taken unawares and didn't have time to tense his stomach muscles. Houdini was buried in the coffin he used in his acts.
Astrology - Harry Houdini’s chart has some interesting influences that can be seen in his life. He was a daring exhibitionist and took may physical risks. The Ascendant or rising sign (your appearance, how you are seen) is in Capricorn giving Houdini the driving ambition that he had in abundance. The Sun (your personality, how you experience life, your essential energy) is in Aries in the 2nd house and is particularly strong here. This gives him physical energy, daring and a pioneering nature. The Moon (your instinctive natural reaction, moods, habits and your mother) is in Sagittarius in the 10th house which suggests leaving home to settle abroad. The Moon is also on the Midheaven giving him fame by ensuring that the public would notice him. Mercury (your mind, intellect, communication, learning, mischief and criminal activities) is in mysterious and watery Pisces, and in the 2nd house shows that he valued his ability to deceive using his imagination. He understood that truth can be anything you want it to be. This also gives acting and writing ability, both of which he used to make his name. Venus (your relationships, love, affection, harmony and sociability) is in Aries in the 3rd house and shows a difficult adolescence with insecurity and a need for attention. But he also knows what he wants. Mars (your physical energy, initiative, action and how you get what you want) is in Taurus in the 3rd house giving staying power, an aptitude for hands-on work, perseverance to get to his goal, but also possibly bullying. This position of Mars could have influenced his acts where Mars represents needles and knives and Taurus the throat (and swallowing). In the 3rd house he puts his energy into communication and he did anything to get publicity. Jupiter (your belief system, expansion and also representing the world of publishing) is in Virgo in the 8th house showing an obsessive worker but also writing ability. Jupiter can also indicate showing-off and Virgo (representing the stomach) in the 8th house (death, hidden forces, other people’s money) could show the manner of his death. Saturn (your limitations, lessons to be learned, the key to your career, professional performance and your father) is in Aquarius in the 1st house providing a disciplined and structured mind which would be essential for the feats he performed. And Saturn being the ruling planet in the 1st house shows ambition and being in control of his own image. Uranus (your power to invent the new, desire for change, originality and unpredictable behaviour) is in Leo in the 7th house and indicates unusual partnerships (personal and business) and interestingly his business partner was his wife. Neptune (the collapse of your boundaries, mysterious behaviour, elusiveness and dreams) in Aries in the 3rd house shows mysticism, illusion, the unseen & mysterious, water, daring, and imaginative ideas converted into action. His escapology using water is clearly shown here and was his most daring feat. The 3rd house can represent the media and his plane stunt in Australia certainly got their attention. Pluto (your hidden issues, compulsion and dark side) is in Taurus in the 3rd house and on the Immum Coeli (roots, early life) shows hardship in his early years.
Midheaven (your career, aspirations, public face and what you become) is in Scorpio opposite Pluto showing a connection between the afterlife and the family, something which he incorporated into his act. |
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