“One day ladies will take their computers for walks in the park and tell each other, “My little computer said such a funny thing this morning.” ~ Alan Turing
Alan Turing, widely known as the father of computer science and artificial intelligence, was an English mathematician, computer scientist, logician, cryptanalyst, philosopher, and theoretical biologist.
The Birth Chart of an Enigma
A short bio by Andrew Hodges says that Turing was “eccentric, solitary, gloomy, upbeat, vivacious, resigned, angry, eager, dissatisfied — these had always been his ever-varying characteristics.”
Others say he was brilliant, inventive, philosophical, technical, shy, reserved, friendly, playful, boyish, and “giggled a lot.” Still, Turing also had a laser-like focus on making sense of the world and a thirst for understanding. Many speak of his athletic abilities, personal strength, and courage. You can see the potential for these “ever-varying characteristics” in Turing’’s birth chart.
Alan Turning was born on June 23, 1912, at 2:15 AM GMT in London, England – Birth data, Rodden rating A.- House system Phophery
Uranus in Aquarius Conjunct Midheaven and Lillith
Uranus is the dominant planet in Turing’s chart. Uranus is at home in Aquarius and is precisely conjunct his Aquarius Midheaven and Lilith in Aquarius. Uranus’ only aspects are a quincunx from his Cancer Sun – orb 1 °, a trine to his Gemini Ascendant – orb 3 ° and a sextile to Jupiter in Sagittarius (also in the sign it rules and on an angle) – orb 5 °. Turing is the perfect example of just how potent the influence planets can have when they are placed in the sign they rule, especially if they’re also on the cusp of the MC.
Uranus in Aquarius on the Midheaven is undoubtedly an indicator of Turing’s fame in computer science. But Lilith in Aquarius conjunct his Uranus and MC helped define Turing’s place in the world. With Lilith in Aquarius, Turing required freedom and autonomy at any cost, even the forfeiture of his personal life.
Truing’s biographer, Andrew Hodges, says in Alan Turing: the Enigma:
“Alan Turing’s story was not one of family or tradition but of an isolated and autonomous mind.”
Tenth House Chiron in Pisces
With Chiron in Pisces also in the 10th house, it’s not surprising that instead of public recognition for his achievements, Turing faced public persecution when he was convicted of “gross indecency” (homosexual affairs) in 1952. Gross indecency was then a crime punishable by life imprisonment. However, judges didn’t usually give life sentences; instead, it was more common to see sentences such as hard labor or chemical castration. Turing’s lawyer advised him to plead guilty, and he accepted chemical castration rather than give up his freedom. Alan Turing is frequently said to be a martyr (Chiron in Pisces) for the LGBT community.
Turing’s achievements were not made public until long after his 1954 death. Finally, in 2013, Turing was given a posthumous Royal pardon. The Justice secretary at the time said:
“Turing deserves to be remembered and recognized for his fantastic contribution to the war effort and his legacy to science.”
Jupiter in Sagittarius
Turing’s Aquarius MC sextile Jupiter in Sagittarius on the DC was speaking when he said:
“The isolated man does not develop any intellectual power. It is necessary for him to be immersed in an environment of other men, whose techniques he absorbs during the first twenty years of his life. He may then perhaps do a little research of his own and make a very few discoveries which are passed on to other men. From this point of view, the search for new techniques must be regarded as carried out by the human community as a whole rather than by individuals.” ~ Alan Turing
He also has a Libra moon conjunct his Libra South node with Venus in Gemini and a 5th house Mars in Leo. So, while Turing had “an isolated and autonomous mind,” you can bet relationships were very important to him at work and play!
Turing’s Early Life
Alan Turing spent much of his early life separated from his parents and was discouraged and marginalized at school. The education system didn’t encourage his free-ranging scientific thinking, so Turing studied advanced modern scientific ideas independently. But that situation changed when he met his schoolmate Christopher Morcom. Christopher was Alan’s best friend who inspired him and sparked his interest in cryptology.
When Christopher suddenly died from tuberculosis, young Turing was devastated. It’s said that Turing “wanted to believe that Christopher’s mind somehow lived on. His emotional turmoil involved a scientific fascination with the problem of mind and brain that was the underlying foundation of his life’s work” – a machine that could think.
The Turing Test
In 1950, Alan Turing proposed the Imitation Game machine intelligence test when he published Computing Machinery and Intelligence. This remarkable work cemented Turing’s philosophical legacy (Jupiter in Sagittarius) and revealed Truning’s brilliantly inventive mind, which seemed to foresee the questions arising as computers evolved. The Turing Test is still used to answer whether a computer can be intelligent. Summarizing Turing’s paper, David Whitehead from the University of Chicago writes:
“Turing’s paper attempts to answer the question, ‘Can machines think?’ His approach is both philosophical and technical, with even the technical sections seeming more philosophical than truly technical.”
Surprise! Turing’s Packed Second House
When I first looked at Turing’s chart, I noted that all the personal planets were below the horizon; this indicates he was a private person. I was surprised to see the Sun, Mercury, and Neptune in Cancer, meaning, among other things, that Turing was emotionally self-protective. I was even more surprised to note his packed second house: Venus conjunct Pluto in Gemini, conjunct his Sun/Mercury in Cancer.
None of what I’d read about Turing mentioned money. But with a packed 2nd house, personal wealth must have been a serious concern to Turing; he probably considered it vital to his security and well-being. So, I dug deeper and learned that Turing’s family came from great generational wealth. And that Turing made about five million dollars during his short life (equivalent to about sixty-seven million dollars today). Yes, Turing was a wealthy man, but with Saturn in Taurus in the 12th house, he probably feared poverty and was thrifty, overly cautious with his money, and kept his wealth hidden.
Turing’s Hidden Treasure
I’ll end with this short story that reveals Turing’s concern for money. In the 1940s, Turing, worried about losing his life savings in the event of a German invasion, bought two silver bars weighing 3,200 oz (90 kg) and buried them in the woods near Bletchley Park. When he returned to dig them up, Turing, the code-breaker, discovered he couldn’t break the code he’d created to reveal where he’d buried the silver bars. What did Turing do? He used a metal detector and began hunting through the woods. His last attempt was in 1952, just two years before his death on June 7, 1954. Turing never found his buried treasure.
Note: Isn’t it somewhat synchronistic, considering Turing’s concern with money, that in 2021, the Bank of England issued a new 50-pound note that featured Alan Turing’s image on the back?
Much more could be said about this enigmatic man’s birth chart. If you want to add something more about Turing’s birth chart, use the comment section.
Fascinating! Thank you, Pat.