Like probably most of us, I am used to hearing about murders committed by "the poor and the ugly." That's why the horoscope of the socialite Patrizia Reggiani caught my attention several years ago when she was released from prison after serving 17 years. Patricia Reggiani was sentenced to 29 years in prison in 1998 because she arranged the murder of her ex-husband, fashion entrepreneur Maurizio Gucci.
Phot Credit: IMAGO / Milestone Media
According to various newspapers, Patrizia Reggiani could have been granted parole in 2011 but refused the request. "I've never worked in my life, I'm not going to start now," she is said to have told the judge to justify her decision, according to an article in La Stampa. That and her other statements circulated as headlines in the tabloid media, painting a picture of snobbery and madness. The 2021 documentary "Lady Gucci: The Story of Patrizia Reggiani" confirms these seemingly absurd statements but also provides context and insights into her personality so that many things begin to make sense.
Since astrological symbolism is associated with elemental concepts, we must relate it to the person's reality to fully discern the individual manifestation. I have relied on the documentary film and interviews with Daniele Crippa and Allegra Gucci to obtain more reliable information about Reggiani than the tabloids offer. Reggiani dated Daniele Crippa for several years after she split from Maurizio Gucci, and he gave a four-part interview to Il Giornale d'Italia in 2022. Allegra Gucci, her daughter, wrote a biographical book in response to the Hollywood film "House of Gucci," which she says is a "bad caricature" of her parents. Unless otherwise indicated, quotes or paraphrases in the text are from the documentary "Lady Gucci:The Story of Patrizia Reggiani".
So, let's examine the horoscope of Patrizia Reggiani' and see how her statements and those of others bring her horoscope to life.
Birth data: 2 December 1948, 7:30 am, Vignola, Italy. AA Astrodatabank
Strong sense of self and individualism with Jupiter in Fall
With the Sun and Moon in Sagittarius in the 1st house, we can assume a personality with a strong ego, strong opinions and convictions. I want to point out the obvious here, that opinions and beliefs are not necessarily based on facts, and you will soon see why that is relevant. Due to the fiery element, an intense drive for recognition and validation adds to that strong mental attitude. The Sagittarius emphasis in the 1st house also indicates an expressive and engaging personality.
Daniele Crippa about Patrizia : “She has a great personality .... I would call her nice, funny, bubbly, in short, a woman who knows and knew how to live.” Also: “Patrizia on the other hand was a very witty woman.“ (1)
Brunero, a friend of Reggiani, when asked about Reggianis half-confession of the murder on TV: ““I cried after that TV interview. It was terrible,” she says, putting her head in her hands. “Naturally, Patrizia was only joking…””. (2)
With Jupiter in the Fall ruling the Ascendant and disposing the two luminaries, we can also expect extravagance, a demanding demeanour, an attitude of entitlement, arrogance and grandiosity.
Crippa says of Reggiano and her husband Maurizio: “They were both megalomaniac and there was a lot of envy towards them…....Certainly, she could be arrogant and unlikeable at times. In my opinion, the case against her was set up in this way because she came across as not likable and was the perfect target to accuse.”
The individualistic traits are further enhanced by Moon in opposition to Uranus. Uranus stirs this Sun-Moon mixture into excitement, emotional tension, and possible erratic episodes. Although Mars is exalted in Capricorn, it is in opposition to Uranus and in conjunction to Moon, and reiterates the patterns of impulsivity and daring.
The strong need to have a free hand in everything she does and to be "the captain of her own ship" is underlined by the emphasized first house. As we can see immediately, this is not the horoscope of a woman who is content to take second place in private relationships or her professional life. In addition, the peregrine Sun, ruled by debilitated Jupiter and tightly conjunct with the Ascendant, can also give domineering traits.
When asked about the reasons for the separation of Maurizio Gucci and Reggiani, Daniele Crippa responded: "Patrizia has a very strong character, Maurizio was perhaps a little less assertive...Perhaps he felt oppressed by his wife's strong character, which was much stronger than his own, and wanted to show that he was independent of her. "And later, he adds: "Maurizio could no longer stand Patrizia's dominant character".
Patrizia Reggiani confirms this in the documentary: "A person as weak as Maurizio had to be ruled with my iron fist. Otherwise, he was lost, and so it came to pass."
Values focused on wealth and status - a Saturn correlation
Cathodoluminescence image of a diamond.Pavel Somov.(CC BY 4.0)
The square of Saturn to Sun, Mercury and Ascendant indicates behavioural patterns conditioned by some stressful circumstances in early childhood. Saturn rules the 2nd and 3rd houses from the 9th house, the Sun is the ruler of the 9th house, and Jupiter in Fall, which is in the 1st house, is the ruler of the Ascendant. Patricia Reggiano identifies strongly with the value system and mode of reasoning that prevailed in her early parental home, expressed through her strong views about the ways of the world and how she can navigate it. Saturn is in the 12th derivative house from the 10th house, indicating that her mother's fears and dependencies strongly influenced Patricia's developmental years, perception, and thinking.
Daughter Allegra, who lived with Patrizia's mother Silvana after the arrest, says of her grandmother: "But I soon realized that for Silvana it was all about money and the power that came with it. She manipulated us with guilt. And she manipulated others with her acquired economic power. " (3)
Patrizia Reggiani was born in very humble circumstances. Reggiani's mother was a low-income worker and a dishwasher before she met and married a wealthy man who adopted her daughter Patrizia and spoiled her with a luxurious lifestyle. According to the criminologist from the documentary, the social differences in Milan are apparent, and Patrizia must have been very aware of them through her own experience.
Micaela Goren Montim, an acquaintance who had known Patrizia after she was adopted and became rich, believes that Patrizia's difficult childhood left a significant mark and that she must have lived with the fear of being poor again.
The fear of being poor is coherent with this horoscope: the horoscope ruler Jupiter is disposited by Saturn, which in turn rules the 2nd house. With its three squares, Saturn in Virgo also brings fear of failure and fear of exposing inadequacies, challenging the dominant need for self-affirmation and recognition. This particular connection between the 9th, 2nd and 1st house, hosting Saturn in the 9th house and Jupiter in Fall, describes not a spiritual but a materialistic worldview, which helps Reggiani define her personality, strengthen her self-esteem and consequently affirm herself. Practical Saturn in Virgo controls and restrains Sagittarius' spontaneity, adding a sense of purpose and strategy that is predominantly materialistically oriented and serves to protect her strong but vulnerable sense of self.
In a video interview from 1986, Patrizia says: “It is true money cannot buy happiness. That’s for sure. But anyway it is much better to have money than not to have. It is better to cry in Rolls-Royse than to be happy on a bicycle”.
https://youtu.be/egEgFA4X9g8
The police inspector who investigated and arrested Reggiani shared in the documentary his impression of her as a cold and indifferent woman, interested only in money, luxury, and friendships with high-ranking people.
The importance attached to partnership and social status, and its scope
Mercury in Detriment is combust, in conjunction with the Ascendant, disposed of by Jupiter, in square to Saturn, and rules both the seventh and the tenth house. Relationships and social status are closely intertwined in this horoscope; both are essential components of her sense of identity. That means Reggiani's self-esteem depends on how she perceives her social status, which she may achieve through partnerships. She may perceive ups and downs in these areas as threatening to her essential self.
Criminologist Cristina Bodoni believes that despite money, Patrizia felt the need to prove that she was on the same level as people born rich. A wealthy-born acquaintance of Patrizia featured in the documentary says that while many girls dreamed of love and romance, Patrizia was concerned with finding the right man with a good name and a fat wallet.
The astrology in this horoscope suggests that Patrizia's marriage to Maurizio Gucci, heir to a fashion empire, was as crucial to her self-definition as it was devastating to her sense of personal identity when the marriage failed. After all that has happened and has been done, she never ceases to insist that she is a Gucci.
Although Venus in Scorpio further exemplifies Reggiani's emotional nature, it is not as prominent and existentially connected to her sense of self, so I do not believe that simple jealousy was the motive for the murder. Venus rules the 11th and 6th houses and is in the 11th house, forming sextiles to Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars. That gives a picture of complex emotional needs: She needs to feel secure and in control in relationships; she is passionate, loyal, and has a sense of duty. Since Venus is in the sign of her Detriment and aspects Saturn and Mars, the rulers of the 2nd and 12th houses, materialism and fear of (material) loss are associated with the concept of partnership. All this underpins what has already been said about the compensatory effect of relationships. In the documentary, Patrizia Reggiani talks about how she wanted to prevent the marriage between Maurizio Gucci and his girlfriend at the time. But she seems more interested in her financial advantage and that of her daughters than in her ex-husband's affection.
Temperament
So far, we have seen the psychological dynamics that motivate Patricia Reggiani's behaviour. We will now use a tool handed down from traditional astrology, namely the calculation of temperament. Temperament is an innate disposition that does not depend on development like personality. It tells us something about how we react to things, people and events.
To get a quick sense of her temperament, we take the lord of geniture, which is again Jupiter, then Mercury and the Sun in the Ascendant, and the Moon, all in the hot and dry sign Sagittarius. Here, the choleric temperament predominates. Patrizia Reggiani tends by nature to be quick to react, impatient, expressive, active, and "hot-headed."
Individual coping mechanism
Criminologist Cristina Bodoni tells us that Patrizia managed to maintain her social status even in prison. We learn from one of the prison inmates that Reggiani had a hairdresser and other services brought in from outside the prison. She had her pet ferret and plants with her. The acquaintance who visited her once and came when all the prisoners were let out of their cells into the yard saw Patrizia with a parasol sunshade and a towel because she used the exit to get a suntan. And she did so "with the same nonchalance and elegance with which she would have entered a beautiful yacht." Patrizia Reggaini herself, when talking about that time, calls the prison "Residence San Vittore". In an interview, she says that in San Vittore, she enjoyed special treatment, her relationship with the inmates was perfect, and she did not feel bad; on the contrary, she was doing very well.
The eye-witness' and Reggiani's report demonstrate a deep and firm identification with one's beliefs, as outlined above in the text, and serve as a defence mechanism. The debilitated Jupiter in Capricorn is particularly prominent in this horoscope and relates to denial as Reggiani's coping mechanism. She clung so desperately and exhaustively to her image of grandiosity and elevation that the disturbing reality of life in prison could only bounce off her.
Cristina Bodoni: "Reggiania is a woman who usually does what she wants and decides for herself and others. Having to submit to the court was very difficult for her."
Taking the responsibility - Saturn and Jupiter in Fall
Photo Credit: Public domain
Reggiani's lawyer: "She's the person who took responsibility, so she's at peace with herself, and that certainly helped her live the present in a different way."
Reggiani says she has taken responsibility for her actions by staying in prison for 18 years. However, she seems to show no remorse.
And the crime reporter Luca Fazzo comments: "From the beginning she followed the line of the misunderstood contractor."
That is a strange interplay of Saturn and Jupiter. Saturn squaring the Sun and Ascendant is an astrological signature for the sense of responsibility. But the influence of Sagittarius planets, ruled by debilitated Jupiter, distorts this in some ways. Even her sense of responsibility is impaired by the sense of personal grandeur and egotism.
I usually hold back from making statements with judgmental undertones because the undesirable aspects of a personality can develop in response to certain life circumstances, especially in early childhood. If there is insight and willingness, the personality can evolve, learn other coping methods, and "undo" such traits. But a weakened Jupiter can make it more challenging to gain self-insight and can manifest as egotism, which seems to take hold of Reggaini.
Pia Auriemma, who was involved in the murder and served 19 years in prison: "Those who are in prison think about their useless existence and ask themselves, "What have I done with my life?" And when you finally get out and the doors close behind you, you're a different person."
Of herself, Reggani says: "The ups and downs have made me incredibly strong...Prison hasn't changed me at all.... the way I went in is the way I came out. "
1) “Omicidio Gucci, la testimonianza inedita su Patrizia Reggiani dell'ex compagno Daniele Crippa: intervista esclusiva a Il Giornale d'Italia” , Il Giornale d'Italia
2) “The Gucci wife and the hitman: fashion's darkest tale “, Interview with Abigaile Haworth, The Observer, 24. July 2016
3) "Exclusive: Allegra Gucci Speaks to Vanity Fair About Her Mother, Her New Book, and What She Thinks of House of Gucci", Siimone Marchetti, Vanity Fair, March 11, 2022
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