Martha Stewart: A Brief Astrological Portrait Through Mottos and Origins
Because if I did a comprehensive review we'd be here all day
The Martha Stewart documentary – simply titled Martha and currently streaming on Netflix – is a wealth of perspective on this global presence of a woman, as a homemaker, and the "original influencer".
WE HAVE AN AA RATED NATAL CHART FOR MARTHA, I spent the entire documentary taking notes like a court stenographer, and I think it’s time we DO A LIL’ DELINEATING!
Below is her natal chart. For those of you unfamiliar, I am firmly a yes-and astrologer in my approach, and I don’t think the experience of consciousness should be tethered to a single framework, but I generally prefer Placidus and thus will utilize it throughout the course of this delineation:
The scope of this delineation is intentionally narrow: I wanted to highlight how her mottos map onto her natal chart (and vice versa), and how her origin story strongly shaped the reality she built for herself professionally.
Martha’s Mottos
First, of all, I had to note that in my (very sober) household I had to exclaim, “TAKE A SHOT EVERY TIME THEY SAID SHE WAS A PERFECTIONIST.” It was sort of surreal how frequently that was mentioned, but it’s part of her literal brand and how she was perceived, so who am I to judge? In the 10th house we see her Virgo Venus shining brightly, forming a wide square with her Gemini Jupiter, suggesting that perfection isn’t just a goal, it’s a lifestyle, and deeply emotionally satisfying – in fact, it’s where she derives a sense of pride and belonging (Jupiter ruling her 2h of self-worth, Venus ruling her 7th house of the other and partnership).
I also found it interesting that she mentioned she has a couple of frameworks she lives by:
“Learn something new every day”
“When you’re through changing, you’re through.”
“Learn something new every day” is an energetic signature that is rooted throughout her chart: her Sun is rejoicing in the 9th house of education, of expansion, of travel, philosophical and religious ideas, learning, and mentoring. The Sun rejoicing in the 9th suggests the ambition and form of her identity is tangible and particularly impactful; her energy has an extra oomph, though it’s certainly not exclusively due to a 9th house Sun! The impact of her Sun seems specifically tether to her professional contributions – her Sun is conjunct her MC, or the space of our public contributions, persona, and influence, at ~8°. This drive to learn is also ever-present in her Sagittarius Moon, which demonstrates a strong rootedness in figuring out ‘what’s next’ – this can manifest as never being fully satisfied, constantly picking away at what else could be done to satiate the unquenchable thirst for more.
Her second quote that she lives by, “when you’re through changing, you’re through,” SCREAMS Scorpio ascendant, which thrives on the possibility of a different reality, for better or worse. The Scorpio ascendant is ruled by a domicile Aries Mars conjunct the cusp of the 6th house at 3°; the quality of Mars can be severing in nature – change, and breaking apart patterns of personal expression (5th house Mars) and the tempo of daily life (Mars conjunct the 6th house cusp) are not only palatable for her - there is a visceral need for shifts in this regard, despite the discomfort that may be associated with these experiences. Another quote that articulates the nature of her Aries Mars chart ruler quite succinctly was, “change that garden if you don’t like it. Rip it out and start all over again.” Which is precisely what she did, time and time again.
Family Foundations: Shaping the Legacy of Martha Stewart
Martha seemingly idolized her father, Edward Kostyra, from a young age, remarking that it was ‘obvious’ she was his favorite. She inherited her perfectionism from him (both share a natal Virgo Venus), and Edward was described as ‘like a sergeant’ with his six children, especially when it came to gardening—a skill they relied on to ensure the family had enough food to eat. He was a gifted gardener and trained Martha in what he knew, which helped to establish her immense skillset in the realm of gardening and working outdoors.
According to Robert Hand, the Sun symbolizes the individual’s experience of the father as a person and authority figure, whereas Saturn demonstrates what the Father teaches – concepts of duty and responsibility. It’s also worth noting when we consider how the parent influences the child through the natal chart, we are examining how the individual perceives their parents in a subjective and deeply personal way.
Referring to Stewart’s natal chart, there are mixed signatures regarding the perceived influence of her father. On one hand, there’s a dignified and angular Leo Sun (conjunct the MC) which suggests the presence of her Father is likely enduring and positively impactful, particularly in the professional direction she is compelled toward, and the goals that she has therein. However, there may have been a layer of disappointment associated with her Father – or regarding his contributions or prowess, as demonstrated with Sun conjunct Chiron; Chiron is one of the more sensitive components in the natal chart, and where we typically feel shame, rejection, embarrassment, or othered. We’ll touch on how this Sun-Chiron conjunction manifested in her perception of her Father - but not before we also consider the role of Saturn.
In traditional astrological frameworks, the ruler of the 4th house to reflect the nature of the Father. The 4th house is in the sign of Aquarius, which is traditionally Saturn. Stewart's Taurus Saturn is conjunct Uranus. Saturn conjunct Uranus suggests an inclination toward erratic behavior where perceptions of her Father is concerned, but another tether to Martha’s broader purpose and trajectory, with a 4° trine between her Taurus Saturn her Virgo North Node.
Martha did spend a considerable amount of time praising her father, but also said, “He was a failure at work [… He was] stuck in a salesman’s job […] He would start the day with black coffee and red wine.” According to her siblings, their Father struggled with alcoholism and tended toward abusive behavior; in some regards, he was unable to provide meaningfully for his family (paraphrased quotes from a Vanity Fair article). She also noted that her Father was ‘a bigot and impulsive’. The impulsive quality is most tangible in the Saturn – Uranus conjunction. Interestingly, her siblings noted some of the mistreatment in ways Martha did not - at least in the recent documentary.
His inclination toward plants and gardening is similarly reflected in the Martha’s Taurus Saturn, which gives a sturdy and resourceful signature to her Father’s energy and presence in her life. It is also reflective of the qualities offered to her directly by her Father - a deep sense of respect and reverence for perfection, a strong work-ethic, and an interest in all things outdoors, particularly where tending and growing is concerned.
Briefly reflecting on Edward’s natal chart (middle ring above), we see that his own natal Saturn is in Taurus and it’s conjunct Mars rather closely at 2°, both ruled by an anaretic degree Virgo Venus. Where he felt he failed (Saturn-Mars suggesting the potential for stymied efforts), he may have acted out verbally (ruled by Virgo Venus) - whether in using disparaging words, nothing ever being ‘good enough’ or withholding kindness. We can also see a marker for potential erratic emotions - or uneven accessibility to emotional expression - with his Cancer Moon opposing Uranus at a close orb (3°, though there is some variability regarding the true degree of the Moon without a verified birth time).
Through the lens of familial astrology, Martha inherited her Leo Sun, Virgo Venus, and Scorpionic qualities from her Father, and in many ways it makes sense as to why there was the perception of a deep bond shared: Martha’s Mercury was conjunct his Moon and his Neptune – her perceptions of him were undoubtedly clouded (Neptune tends to delude and obscure), but they certainly shared a connection that transcended the mere verbal or emotional. It seems they had a keen and natural mutual understanding, though perhaps the depth of his character (positive, negative, neutral) remained elusive to Martha in their shared bond.
Only a few moments in the documentary were dedicated to Martha’s mother, affectionately known as ‘Big Martha’; Martha mentioned that her mother was a good cook – and a cook who had to make 16 meals a day (!), which maps onto the industrious nature of her Virgo Sun. If we consider Big Martha’s natal chart (outer wheel in triwheel chart shared above), I’d say there’s a great deal of influence she had over Martha’s professional trajectory as well, despite not being particularly centered in the documentary. SPECIFICALLY, Big Martha’s Sun was conjunct Martha’s North Node (and general life trajectory) at just 1° - though, admittedly, her Father’s Mercury was similarly conjunct her North Node at 1°. Her Mother’s Moon was also somewhere between Martha’s Pluto, Chiron and Sun in Leo, which may explain part of the reason why less was said in this piece. Based on some external interview quotes, I’d wager Big Martha’s Moon was somewhere closer to Martha’s Chiron, based on this quote from themarthablog.com:
“You're always the child, and you're treated like the child. My mother didn't even have a clue [about] half the things I do. She'd say, "Ah, really, you're involved in that?" And when she [came] to a live audience on the show [she would say], "Oh my God, you have so many people here!" She just didn't focus on that because she had her own life to deal with.”
A no-nonsense Big Martha, which we do love to see, but that may have contributed to the lack of coverage about Big Martha in the context of the documentary! Big Martha had her own business to attend to in life, it seems!
Indulge me a final glimpse at their familial astrology: they all have STRONG threads of Leo (each have a luminary in the sign), STRONG threads of Virgo, along with dashes of Cancer and Taurus (see triwheel for clusters of planets in signs).
Endearingly, her Father’s Jupiter is conjunct Martha Stewart’s Ascendant at 2°, while her Mother’s Scorpio Venus is conjunct her Ascendant at 1°—a benefic embrace, if I may. Martha’s career began in catering, a field rooted in lovingly crafting spaces and dishes for a select audience. Her Father’s precision and gardening prowess, combined with her Mother’s expertise in cooking and sewing, laid the foundation for Martha Stewart’s destiny. These influences shaped her thoughtfulness and attention to detail, which she channeled into her work (Virgo Venus in the 10th house copresent with Virgo North Node). Her upbringing instilled a fastidiousness that, paired with her learned skills, offered audiences a perfected vision of homemaking joy, made accessible to the masses through her unique touch and instruction (9th house Leo Sun conjunct MC; 9th house Mercury).
There are genuinely 100,000 other things I can offer in delineating from Stewart’s chart - and I may take some time to reflect on romantic relationships in her chart, because that’s a particularly rough and wild area in her lived experience. But for now I leave you with this image and quote, directly from the documentary, to demonstrate the depth of her dignified Leo Sun’s influence on her expression and profession:
To no one’s surprise, the angular Leo Sun is at the center of her own solar system. But you know what? She made it work. And Martha Stewart continues to be a household name in the States, and her social media presence, truly a pervasive enigma, all of these decades later.