In his previous life, he might well have been a buccaneer from the 17th century.

(Re)born in the 20th century, Paddy Roy Bates would make himself Prince of Sealand by creating his own country, with flag, anthem and constitution on an abandoned sea fort built by Britain in international waters during world war 2.

This didn’t happen without outlandish fighting.

I said he ‘might well have been’ a pirate. As an evolutionary astrologer I can only talk about the ‘energy’ we bring from previous incarnations into this one. Or simply about innate tendencies.

Born in 1921, in England, Roy was 15 at the start of the Spanish war. He dropped out of school and went. ‘I fought for both sides’ he said. ‘I didn’t care, I just wanted to fight’.

Then came world war two. He fought in the British army, survived various injuries, and ended up a war hero and the youngest major.

I don’t know his exact birth time unfortunately. The one I’ve put here is just my bet and I’ll tell you why it makes sense.

Firstly, you’ll agree, a prominent Mars is unavoidable. I put it on the MC.

After the war, unable to bear the nine to five routine, he would venture into various businesses, like harvesting white sea ferns in the Northern sea to be used by florists. Next to Mars is Neptune indeed.

With Mars on the MC, he would be Scorpio Ascendant; Mars would not only be angular, but also chart ruler, along with Pluto.

Now, even if Mars was not angular, and not Ascendant ruler, it would remain a very very special Mars:

Firstly, the South Node is in Aries. This makes Mars a very important energy.

Secondly, Mars is opposite Black Moon Lilith - which is equivalent to a conjunction with Priapus, the lunar perigée. Priapus was a God of fertility with an oversized penis in a state of constant erection. This must be interpreted symbolically indeed.

Priapus gives planets free reins to express their most instinctual nature - and Mars is by nature rather instinctual, sexual or aggressive.

Meanwhile, Black Moon Lilith in opposition challenges Mars to be the best it can be.

There is more: the conjunction Mars-Neptune is unaspected. (Unaspected = no contact with personal planets)

For unaspected planets, Liz Greene uses the metaphor of a community living together in a house, harmonising and compromising, but ignoring the existence of a solitary inhabitant in the basement: the unaspected planet.

This hidden inhabitant sometimes appears, wild and unrestricted, to the surprise - and possibly the horror - of everyone, before returning to its independent existence.

(Then, as life goes on, the human with the unaspected natal planet learns to make them all function together consciously. A birth chart is a starting point, not a curse.)

Now, if this Mars was not only unaspected but also chart ruler and angular, Liz Greene’s metaphor could be reversed: Mars lives in the upper floors of the house, and the rest of the community hides in the basement.

A teenager drops out of school to go fight on both sides in a civil war for the sake of fighting, later becomes a war hero in the British Army, rubs shoulders with death time and again, and later would say:

‘I rather enjoyed the war’...

Is this what is called an adrenalin addict? Let’s call it an overwhelmingly dominant Mars. That’s my case for having it on the MC.

His mother would have been worried. Roy was the only survivor of six children. If my bet about Roy’s time of birth is right, the Moon is not only conjunct Pluto, it’s also square Chiron, to the degree, and Black Moon Lilith then is conjunct the IC, from the 3rd house side (the house of siblings).

It’s part of the mythology of Lilith that she takes away children. He kept toying the death line. Scorpio Rising suits him well.

With a South Node in Aries, the North Node is in Libra. Roy also had Venus, ruler of this North Node in Cancer, along with the Moon.

He met Joan - soon to be Ms Joan Bates, and twenty years later Princess of Sealand, in late December 1948. Three days later, he proposed. She thought ‘he was taking a hell of a long time’ to do so.

They married in February 1949, would have two children - the future crown princes - and stayed together their entire lives.

What is astrologically striking about the time of their encounter:

The progressed Moon was on the exact degree of Roy’s natal Moon in December 1948. If my time of birth is correct of course.

Pluto was transiting on natal Mars, in an extremely powerful way:

Pluto had been stationary retrograde on the exact degree of his natal Mars in November. Pluto stayed about three months on this very degree.

It’s always a big deal for Mars to make room for Venus and the Moon on a daily basis…

Almost at the same time, Saturn had been transiting on Roy’s Sun, and by the same token, on his natal Sun-Uranus opposition. Again, his extremely special and independent personality had to become a little bit contained so as to make room for a loved one and a family.

I was a bit disappointed not to see any obvious transit to Venus which would be 7th house ruler with this birth time. However, Venus is in Cancer, ruled by the Moon, which symbolises woman as well, and is the final dispositor of the North Node - Venus - Moon chain.

Uranus’ glyph looks like an antenna. Before deciding on this birth time, I was wondering if it was not Uranus in Pisces that I would bet on the MC.

The story of Sealand, the smallest country in the world, established on a sea fort built by the British out of their territorial waters during the second world war and abandoned to rust afterwards, started at a time when pirate radios were flourishing.

Roy would become a radio pirate.

In the sixties, national radios like the BBC had the monopoly of transmissions, and a certain idea of being cultural and educational. It was also the time when the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and others were young and adored by the new generation. But the old fossils of the BBC transmitted only one hour per week of pop music!

Radio Pirates were called that by the British government as a way to dismiss them, and the counterculture of the sixties absolutely loved it! They broadcast from ships or from old sea forts, outside of British territorial waters. They conquered huge audiences, which implied business to be made, advertising money etc.

Roy was not a fan of the Rolling Stones but he saw the opportunity. He created Radio Essex. He broadcast from a fort called Knock John, after ousting the DJ’s of another pirate radio.

He was a veteran with the reputation of a nutter, he had already ordered an antenna when the others occupied the place… He let them know that he was there first.

At some point, the British government would change the way to evaluate how far British territorial waters extended: measuring from some piece of sand emerging when the tide was low, the fort actually appeared to be within British jurisdiction after all.

Roy was heavily fined and had to stop. He found another fort, Rough Towers, that was clearly beyond the limits. Other epic fights with another rival radio pirate - Radio Caroline - ensued.

However, this fort was too far at sea to broadcast efficiently. It was too small for the kind of big antenna that would be needed.

In the meantime, Roy had the idea of declaring sovereignty, as a way to make sure that he could play life with his own rules.

If you’re thinking business, having your own country might be worth it, no? However, the primary motivation was, most probably, adventure.

Could this fit a 9th house Moon conjunct Pluto? A homeland without other land than two pillars of concrete and a metallic platform above water is a tad extreme in terms of survival, even with the practical skills of a Virgo Sun and Mercury boosted by Uranus' opposition.

A lot of legal matters ensued, and that’s also why the 9th house makes sense, along with the Sun in the 10th house of social status for someone who becomes a prince and makes his wife a princess in the process, on the day of her birthday, the 2nd of September 1967.

Even though the Sun in the 4th could make sense as well, with Uranus on the MC and the Moon and Pluto Rising… What do you think?

Whatever the actual time of birth might be, a fascinating chart and chap.

You can easily find Sealand on social media and find out how Roy’s grandchildren lead their inherited country.

E mare libertas!

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