Mostly Money

Our subject wishes to remain anonymous, so any information that I think could identify her will be withheld, including the birth data. Here is the natal chart:

This chart was previously delineated by another astrologer here.

I'm not going to do a full natal report here because that's not what the client requested. I'm just going to point out a few details that catch my eye. 

First, our client was born under the sign of Capricorn. I think it was astrologer Jeanne Avery from whom I learned the most interesting thing I know about Capricorns: they didn't want to be born. And the reason I believe this is correct is that I had a sister who was Capricorn, and her birth was a month overdue. When the time came, she dug her heels in and did all she could to prevent it. Consequently, she was pulled out with forceps and her soft little skull was disfigured. Her head was shaped like an egg, and she worked her whole life to hide it, which she did as exceedingly well as she did everything else.

Here is a picture of my Capricorn sister at twelve-years-old with my mother and baby sister in 1966.
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There is a theory which states that before we are born, we make a plan for our physical, tangible life that is based on the lessons we need to complete while we are here. Capricorns already know coming into this life that this time around is going to be hard. It may also be possible that while in the womb they knew their mother's anxiety, and so their id is imprinted with "unwanted." Maybe she wasn't happy to be expecting, or the baby will be a financial burden, or whatever myriad of reasons there are for not wanting a child, not necessarily this child, but any child. But maybe the baby overhears the parents talking about it. This is not, after all, a baby until it is born. The souls coming into this world are adult souls with adult reasoning until they enter the infant body as the first breath is drawn. For this reason, Capricorns can be born with a complex. When they realize birth is inevitable, they decide that they will be good - very, very good - children. They will prove their worth. They will be quiet, they will not take up much room, they will not be any trouble, they will not ask for things, and they will get adolescence over with as quickly as possible. They will be responsible and mature at all times. Mother will not be sorry. They will make her proud.

Man, are they bossy. They make excellent executives and always strive to be leaders, bosses, and managers. They excel on the corporate ladder and suffer terribly if they are relegated to the lower rungs. Our client's sun is trine her ascendant, so her inner world is almost completely compatible with her outer personality. She is comfortable in her own skin. Her emotional needs may be lofty, but she's still a down-to-earth, practical and very capable woman. Her sun is strengthened by being in the house where it belongs in the natural zodiac (as is her moon in the 4th and Uranus in her 11th).

So in this chart, we take this psychological mindset and give it creativity because the sun is found in the 5th house, and what we get is a creative businesswoman. Our subject is an inventor among other things. Below is a chart for the day she received a patent on one of her inventions. I'm sorry that I can't tell you what the inventions are because it would reveal her identity, but trust me; they are good ones! I think I could safely say that at least 90% of all Americans have used one of them. I know I have.

PATENT ISSUED

The transits are cast for noon because I didn't find a time-stamp on the patent issue. The fact that the transiting midheaven and ascendant (which move approximately one degree every four minutes) are conjunct the natal ascendant and midheaven isn't at all important. What we do like, however, is that the transiting sun (ego, identity, purpose) lights up the 10th house of career, honor and public acclaim. Transiting Venus in the 10th house ensures the attention is favorable.

What stands out is that the transiting Saturn (remember this is the lord of her creative and businesslike sun) is conjunct the natal south node. There are many definitions of the moon's nodes. The south node is associated with our past and our comfort zone, but I also believe it is associated with our a priori knowledge. The natal south node is conjunct her ascendant, so she has no doubt brought much previous experience into this life.

 Transiting Mercury is retrograde, just like her natal Mercury. I think most astrologers believe Rx Mercury to always be afflicted, but I disagree. Many of my clients  have it in their chart and some of them appear to possess an almost photographic memory. There is order in their chaos. This natal Mercury makes a close sextile to natal Saturn, which gives her common sense. Retrograde planets are associated with internalization, but I would add storage and recall to the equation. They seem to absorb data like the rest of us, but then they process it differently, and out comes...let's say...a spinoff. Like a great chef, they turn their ingredients into something unique or special. Because of the limited size of blog space that requires the pictures to remain relatively small, you may not be able to tell that transiting Mercury is only one minute (not one degree, but one minute!) from an exact trine to her natal Neptune. Was receiving the patent a "dream come true" for her, literally? Had the idea come to her in a dream, vision, or other non-tangible form? With natal Neptune in the 2nd house (money and resources), it shows her idea (Mercury) had value.

Her natal Mercury is not "just" retrograde, it's stationary direct. That means it was about to assume forward motion by progression soon after her birth. This happened between February 15 and 16, right after her first birthday, so something significant happened in her life then. I haven't been able to determine exactly what it was, and don't want to lose precious time on it when we may never know because most people cannot remember being that age. However, no matter how I look at it, it involves the 4th and 8th houses (both are houses of endings), so it most likely involves the death of a family member or a change of residence (the 8th house is the 4th house of endings from the 4th house of home and family). I would like to urge her to remember that date, minus the year. I'm sure it rings a bell.

Still looking at the chart for the issue of the patent, transiting Pluto (power, transformation, creator, destroyer) trines the natal Ascendant (physical body, personality, here and now) and natal south node. It establishes our subject as the creator of this invention and gives her power over it.

This next one is interesting, too. Transiting Venus, up there in the 10th house, squares the natal north and south nodes, which lie across the ascendant / descendant axis.  

And in turn, the transiting nodes at 21 degrees Leo and Aquarius square the natal Venus, the ruler of her midheaven (career, reputation, public life and direction / path in life), and of course, her 3rd house of the rational mind, as well as paperwork. Squares are NOT always negative. I think that's one of the most difficult "rules" for beginning astrologers to grasp. In this case, we have transits that echo the natal aspects, and those are almost always herald an event.

Finally, the transiting moon conjuncts the natal north node which is beneficial.


BACK TO THE NATAL CHART 

Another thing I notice about the natal chart at a glance is the position of the natal moon. What a dichotomy! We have the usual Sagittarius emotional needs and outlook such as being an optimistic, enthusiastic, idealistic free spirit who requires personal freedom, opportunities to travel, and the ability to escape routine. Routine is anathema to our subject. On the other hand, the moon is in the 4th house of sticking around the homestead with family. Maybe for emotional fulfillment she needs a home in a foreign place, or likes to entertain visitors from far-away places. In any case, her home is bound to be as spacious and light as her mind.  Many people are unaware that some of history's greatest minds had the moon in Sagittarius. Their intelligence is sharp and far-sighted. 

The natal moon's nodes square her moon. That highlights issues with her mother and with women in general, as well as the home and family. This has been the oddest day for me because just before I am going to say something, someone else says it first. In this case, our client told me today about one of her ancestors and the real estate that he owned. The IC (cusp of the 4th house, opposite the midheaven) represents our families, ancestors and foundations in life. It also represents real estate. So does the moon, which is positioned in conjunction with the IC in her chart. A double whammy. And with the moon's nodes square the moon and IC, a triple whammy. Both the moon and the IC represent our childhood, ingrained habits, compulsive behavior patterns, emotional conditioning, and psychological inheritance. Our birth charts follow a family pattern. Look at the charts of everyone in your family, and you will find the same repetitions among the children, parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and so on, back and back for as far back as you can find data for them. It is almost as if the ghosts of our ancestors influence us to finish their unfinished business. We won't go into the theory of reincarnation and how we might be our ancestors reborn, because our subject doesn't believe in reincarnation. So we'll save that for another time. I will add, though, that simply because our client brought up this ancestor of hers out of the blue, and because I don't believe in coincidence, I recommend that she look deeply into his life and try to discover what it may be that he needs her to finish for him.

The nodes squaring their own hostess (they are the MOON'S nodes, after all) sets up both psychological and physical issues in life that require constant work and attention. In this case, taking care of her mother, grandmother or other family members, or the necessity of being cared for by them, can cause her to feel she's not reaching her own potential due to persistent family responsibilities (or perhaps real estate issues) that just never end.

Our client is interested in risks, chances and gambling. Of course she is, with the sun in the 5th house, which represents those things. If there's one question I am asked more than any other, it's whether or not the chart shows the potential to win the lottery. And since the Powerball jackpot was recently high, I'm sure it was on her mind as well.

Her sun is in Capricorn, which isn't really noted for its good fortune. But look closer. She has Jupiter (bigger, better, more) in the 8th house of sex, death and other people's money. That in itself is often a harbinger of inheritance. In addition, she has Uranus (sudden, unexpected, surprising) strong in the 11th house, which is also a "lucky" house when it comes to winnings. Taurus (banking and finance) is on the midheaven, showing that comfort and living well is a goal in her life. Taurus also happens to be a sign of pastoral land. There are three things every Taurus needs for emotional well-being, and that is good food, good drink, and their own land. Every bull needs some pasture.

Two other things that indicate good fortune in this chart are Chiron conjunct her sun, and the vertex in the 5th house. Let me deal with the vertex first because it's quick and simple: it is a point of fate. It's a date with destiny and of things that happen to us over which we have no control. Like the moon's nodes, it has an opposite point, which isn't added to the chart; you just have to remember it's there. The vertex is the stronger of the two.  Both usually require a conjunction to activate them. Having the vertex in the house of risks and pleasures of life is a very fortunate place to have it. Chiron is a whole other matter.

I am not a fan of placing Chiron in the chart when I can't be sure of what it represents. I'm not positive that we have nailed his meaning yet. I have researched him in hundreds of charts, but have not found an effect that I can absolutely pin on him. The best definition I have heard so far (I could kick myself for not bookmarking it, because I haven't been able to find it again) is "to teach and protect" (I would not be surprised if our client had been a schoolteacher). What does that have to do with money, gambling, lotteries, and winning? Nothing. And yet, he almost always shows up in winning charts.

Another "lucky" point in the chart is Transpluto. Don't confuse it with transiting Pluto; they are not the same. Both natal and transiting Transpluto are almost always involved in major winnings.

I had not yet answered this question when the information was volunteered, along with the proof that our client had won big money while gambling over the course of three days. I love clients who don't expect me to go searching for needles in haystacks. Again, the data is withheld to protect her privacy, but thanks to this lovely woman, we get to learn from her (and Chiron?) 

A WINNING CHART

There's so many winning indicators here, it's hard to know where to start. These are transits around the natal chart, the easiest charts for beginners to read. I'll begin with the transiting outer planets first because they are in effect the longest. 

* Transiting Pluto (extremes, big odds) had recently passed over the natal vertex (fate, destiny) in the 5th house of risks, chances, gambling, pleasures and entertainment. It was still within orb of a conjunction, but with power diminishing. Due to its back and forth retrograde / direct motion, it will continue to be in orb the rest of this year.

* Transiting Neptune conjuncted the north node just inside the cusp of the 7th house. Planets on house cusps are stronger than those in the middle of houses (usually), with those on the angles (ascendant / descendant / midheaven / IC) the strongest for good or ill. Neptune is the ruler of one of her angles (the descendant) as well as her 8th house. The 8th is the house of sex, death, and crime, but also of other people's money, funds that are pooled and redistributed, shared resources, and goods of the dead. It includes inheritance, taxes, wills and trusts, insurance, welfare, pensions, retirement accounts such as 401Ks, and lotteries. The north node (had you forgotten him already?) is considered a beneficent.

* Transiting Uranus woo hoo! is conjunct the natal Jupiter! This combination is often known as the "Thank the Lord!" aspect. There are few as lucky as this one. It shows a sudden change of fortune (usually for the better), and often indicates a windfall. And our client happens to have it placed in the 8th house (see paragraph above).

* Transiting Saturn (the ruler of our client's Capricorn sun and 5th house of gambling, remember) is trine to her natal Uranus (sudden, surprising, unexpected changes), which is in her natal 11th house. Most people think of the 11th house as that of friends, groups, associations and organizations, but because of its relationship to Uranus (it is the house of Aquarius, ruled by that planet), it is also associated with changes in fortune. Uranus is "accidentally dignified" here, which adds to its strength.
 

* Transiting Jupiter (bigger, better, more) is the planet most often associated with wealth (other than Pluto, which is the planet of crazy stupid wealth). Those in the know, and I'm guilty of this myself, look straight to it when they want to know if they're going to be lucky. And what is transiting Jupiter doing to the natal chart?  It's a degree past the sextile to its natal place (showing common sense about easy come/ easy go, perhaps) and two, almost three, degrees past a trine (ease) to the natal Part of Fortune in the 2nd house of money and resources. In astrology-speak, "so twenty minutes ago." It is a fading aspect.

Now we come to the personal planets, those that move very quickly and are like the big hand on a clock, pointing out details of time. 

* Transiting Mars at 10 degrees of Pisces makes a trine (ease) to natal Uranus (sudden, unexpected, exciting) in the 11th house (sudden, unexpected, exciting).

* Transiting Venus (love, money, happiness) trines natal Mars in the 2nd house (money and resources) and sextiles the natal Mercury (a pleasant time).

* Transiting Mercury, ruler of her ascendant (physical body, personality, and a timer - "You. Here. Now.")  as well as her  2nd house (money and resources) and co-ruler of her intercepted midheaven (public notice) is about to square its own natal position in the chart. Quick little Mercury moves about a degree a day, and so in two days, the lucky spell will end.

* Transiting sun at 26 Aquarius is working on a square to the natal midheaven (brings the person to public notice). It will complete the square in two days, and will contribute to the end of her luck this time around. 

* Transiting moon is insignificant in this matter because the wins took place over a period of three days, and the moon has moved many degrees during that time. 

* Transiting north node of the moon (a beneficent) is conjunct the natal Venus (love, money, happiness). This may not be a big flashy aspect like Jupiter over Uranus, but it's important and should not be overlooked! Both transiting nodes square natal Pluto (extreme odds), the dispositor of her natal Venus. 

*Transiting vertex conjunct her natal Mercury, ruler of her ascendant, 2nd house of money, and co-ruler of her midheaven.

* I forgot to circle it on the chart above, but this is also important. Transiting Transpluto, a hypothetical planet (say what???!) that I've seen defined as everything from self-sufficiency to perfection always seems to be part of the equation in big wins, and in this case, it conjuncts the ascendant (as the timer "You. Here. Now.") and squares the natal moon on an angle (adding strength). That natal moon rules the 11th house (sudden, unexpected, exciting).

SECONDARY PROGRESSIONS TO THE NATAL

In secondary progressions the outer planets move so slowly that they are only a degree or two from their natal positions and in most cases are not used. What we look at in these charts are the progressed midheaven and ascendant, inner planets, and most importantly, the progressed moon because it is the fastest transit, moving roughly one degree per month. It works as a timer, like the second hand on a clock that ticks off the seconds. In this chart, you can see that it is conjunct the natal north node (a beneficent).  The progressed vertex (fate, a date with destiny) is trine to natal Neptune in the 2nd house (money, resources), the ruler of the 8th house (other people's money).

WINNING TRANSITS 

TO THE SECONDARY PROGRESSED CHART

Secondary progressions indicate what is due to occur in life in the year for which they are cast. Transits for an event shown around the progressions are always telling. In the chart above, we have the transits for our client's big win shown around her secondary progressions. Notice that progressed Neptune is the ruler of the progressed 5th house of gambling and risks.

* The cusp of the 5th house of gambling and risks has arrived at a natal angle. Recall that the natal descendant is at 1 degree 06 Pisces. and the natal north node is at 2 degrees 28 Pisces and Rx. At the time of the win, the cusp of the progressed 5th house is at 3 degrees 33 Pisces and the progressed north node is at 0 Pisces 34 Rx. Transiting Neptune is at 2 Pisces 35. If I put them altogether, it looks like this: 

Bingo!

* Neptune is the ruler of the natal 8th house of other people's money and the progressed 5th house of gambling. Remember when I said that planets are stronger on a cusp than in the middle of a house? If I take apart the tri-wheel above, transiting Neptune is conjunct the progressed moon and progressed north node on the cusp of the progressed 5th house. Do you see that?

* Transiting Pluto (power, odds, transformation) conjuncts progressed Chiron

* Transiting Uranus (sudden, unexpected, exciting) trine progressed Transpluto. Natal Transpluto is in the same place, but since the natal chart is not included in this illustration, you can't see it.

*Transiting Jupiter trines progressed Venus.  

Trines between Jupiter (bigger, better, more) and Venus (love, money, happiness) are classic winning aspects.

* Transiting Mars (action, effort) in the 5th house makes a trine to progressed Uranus (sudden, unexpected, exciting)

* Transiting Transpluto conjunct progressed 
South Node (earned credit)

* Transiting Venus (love, money, happiness) and transiting moon's nodes oppose and square natal Pluto, forming a Grand Cross in fixed signs. This is not generally a favorable influence. Venus will complete the aspect in about two days. I'm not sure, but my best guess is that this would be the time to stop gambling before her luck runs out.


SOLAR ARC DIRECTIONS

Solar arc directions are another way of progressing the chart. The planets don't change their relationship to each other this way; everything moves at the same rate, which is the rate that she sun moves in 24 hours. There is no point in looking at this chart without the natal chart along with it. Here we look for aspects that the directed ascendant and midheaven might make to natal planets or angles, and aspects directed planets make to natal planets or angles.

Here, the directed ascendant at 3 degrees Scorpio sextiles the natal sun at 3 degrees Capricorn, which is mildly favorable, but not that much to write home about. The directed south node also sextiles the sun, while the directed north node trines it. It is always favorable to have the nodes in an easy aspect to planets, rather than challenging aspects like squares.

The directed moon is leaving the 5th house, and sits on a cusp.  

The main attraction here is that directed Saturn, ruler of the natal 5th house of the risks and pleasures of life, as well as the lord of her natal Capricorn sun, is conjunct her natal Mercury, ruler of her ascendant, 2nd house of money, and intercepted midheaven - a coming together of energies.

AGE HARMONIC CHART FOR THE WIN
 
I want to show you one more:

This is a harmonic chart for the win. What is most important is the closest aspect; the rest are small details. What is the closest aspect here? It's Jupiter (bigger, better, more) conjunct the IC. Jupiter is the ruler of the 2nd house of money.

This is the only chart using the Porphyry system. All others are Placidus.

First National Test of the Emergency Alert Warning System

We have about six minutes to go as I am writing this sentence. I am going to post this and finish it afterwards. The chart for the test and the chart for "doomsday 12/21/2012" have some things in common.

1 Dec 21, 2012
Capricorn Ingress / Winter Solstice
11:12 AM GMT
Greenwich, England
51N30 00W00

Neptune and Chiron conjunct the Ascendant

Mercury and Venus are conjunct in Sagittarius in the 9th House of Foreign Relations

Uranus squares Pluto, a long-term transit that causes upheaval and revolution

Vertex is at 20 Virgo in the 7th House of Significant Others and Opponents

First National Test of Emergency Alert Warning System

First National Test of Emergency Alert Warning System
Nov 9, 2011
2:00 PM  CST
Washington, DC USA
38N54 77W02

Neptune and Chiron conjunct the Ascendant

Mercury and Venus are conjunct in Sagittarius in the 9th House of Foreign Relations

Uranus squares Pluto, a long-term transit that causes upheaval and revolution

Vertex is at 20 Virgo in the 7th House of Significant Others and Opponents

Almost the same degrees as those on the angles of the 2012 chart

Mars opposed to Neptune means deception, weakness, poor communications, anger and distrust. Deviousness should be avoided and will backfire if it's not. Time to pay the piper. This may not be a karmic consequence, but it will do until one comes along. Paybacks are ...well, you know. This is not a time to toot your own horn, or make other loud noises that attract attention. Lay low. 

Mars, the penis planet (anger, hostility, war, weapons, tools, sharp instruments, burns, and other things like sports and sex that draw men as a flame draws a moth), is anaretic. He is not going to rise to the occasion. He is weak and tired and there is not enough Viagra in the world. 

Saturn (authority, government, leaders) has just entered the 8th house (transformation, power, death, nuclear energy, shared resources). He is exalted in Libra (diplomacy and indecision), and trines Neptune (illusion, delusion, deception, confusion): a poker face. He rules the 11th house (friends, allies, organizations). 

Venus and Jupiter are in mutual reception, and that's a bit of good news. Both are "fortunate" planets. Mercury is in detriment being in both Jupiter's sign and house, that of foreign relations. But Venus and Mercury conjunct is a bit of sweet talk going on. Don't forget about Neptune's deception if you listen in.

I do worry a little about Uranus (sudden, unexpected, independent, rebellious) squaring off with Pluto (earthquakes, volcanoes, atomic power). Pluto is in the midheaven, making a show of power, and rules the 9th house (foreign entanglements), while Uranus is rising (gearing up for a surprise) and rules the 12th house (secrets, things that are hidden, confinement). This is a combination that stays beyond next year.

Inside wheel: the Sibly Chart for the United States of America
Outside Wheel: First National Test of Emergency Alert Warning System
Nov 9, 2011
2:00 PM  CST
Washington, DC USA
38N54 77W02

The Mercury / Venus conjunction--the sweet talking--

is exactly on the ascendant (the outward identity, in this case, of the USA). The Moon's North Node is conjunct it, so things look fine. 

Weak, anaretic transiting Mars opposes transiting Neptune which conjuncts the moon of the USA (mass confusion).

Uranus (sudden, unexpected, independent, rebellious) opposes the midheaven (reputation, honor). Once Mars leaves Leo he'll no longer be weak. He's moving into Virgo, so he'll be more like Frazier Crane's brother, Niles. But he will begin to make a nice Grand Trine (easy street) with Jupiter (optimism) in Taurus (money, luxuries), and Pluto (regeneration, transformation).  Don't forget Jupiter is in mutual reception with Venus through November 26, so our mood and money improve.

I can't help but wonder if any of that has to do with any of this?

The Death Axis in Astrology

Someone googled the term “death axis, astrology, rectification,” and landed at one of my other sites. That site, however, is for pictures, so I’m going to discuss the answer here.

There are three questions beginning astrologers often look for as soon as they can read a chart, and their order usually depends on their age, marital status, and financial status. They are:

Will I ever win the lottery?

When will I get married?

When will I die?

It’s generally considered unethical for an astrologer to predict a client’s death. First, and foremost, we could be wrong. Imagine the impact on the client. Astrology is a fairly precise science, but interpretation depends on the skill and experience of the astrologer.

Death doesn’t usually stand out in a person’s chart unless it is eminent. Otherwise, we have to go searching for it.

While it is unethical to predict a client’s death, there are rare exceptions to the rule. In the case when a client has been diagnosed as terminally ill, they may have important business to take care of before they go. Those things might include saying goodbye to loved ones, burying the hatchet with old enemies, taking care of finances, finding homes for children or pets, or fulfilling a bucket list. In that case, you would be doing the client a favor if you could give them a small window. * (see edit at the end)

I once heard of an astrologer who was terminally ill, and her friends joked that she wanted another astrologer with her when she passed so that someone would preserve the precise time of her demise for astrological posterity. They could just see her hand raised, finger pointed, then dropping it in death, her dying words, “Now.”

The person who Googled the search term that sent them to me is not a beginning astrologer, though. I know this because they used the search term “rectification.”

Rectification is the process of working backwards in the chart, using known life events to find the correct time through planetary placement. It’s performed when the client doesn’t have an accurate birth time, or when the time is unknown. There are many reasons why someone might not know their birth time. A few don’t even know the day. Also, we might want to read the chart of someone famous or historical whose birth data is private or unknown. You know...celebrities, politicians, and such. And I don’t blame them for guarding the data. But when they do, we have the daunting task of trying to figure it out.

It helps if there’s a ballpark: right after lunch, sunrise, middle-of-the-night, almost the first baby of the New Year, and so on. But sometimes we have no starting point at all. It once took me twenty-five years to get a birth time I needed. Now the moment of finding it is its own "eureka!" chart. There are some people whose data I will want until the day I die, because the time is unknown. For years, off and on, I’ve tried to rectify the charts of those people, so I’ve had lots of practice.

If we have no starting time at all, we try to determine the client’s ascendant and midheaven from their physical appearance, personality, and career. But also remember that their moon, or a strong planet, a configuration, a stellium, or a host of other things might be just as responsible for our perception of them. All we can do is try different possibilities until everything begins to match up. What helps to narrow the field are the major events of the client’s life: achieving a degree, honors, marriage, once-in-a-lifetime things like winning the Powerball, surviving a plane crash, broken bones, major surgery, and our fifteen minutes of fame. The more events to work with, the better. The births of children are usually not helpful unless there was something (exceptionally) unusual or traumatic about the birth. The reason for this, is that birth time belongs to the child, not the mother. That chart becomes the one to compare to the mother’s chart to study their mother / child relationship.

Okay, finally, the death axis:

I have studied so many death charts I thought I’d die. There is no specific death axis, per se. The cause and circumstances of a person’s death are as unique and individual as his birth. There are many contributing factors. When it comes to the chart, every picture tells a story. JFK Jr.’s death was an interesting picture because along with a snapshot of death, he was traveling to attend a wedding, and both show in his chart.

One thing we want to check for, if we think we have the date pinned down, is confirmation in the charts of the client’s spouse, children, parents or other close relatives if we can get their data. If it’s not in those, then it’s not likely (unless they won’t learn of it until later). So while the unknown death may not show up in the relative’s charts until a later time: days, weeks, months or years, it should show up in all of them, because in our modern times, bad news travels fast.

There’s always an exception, right?

If the news of the death does not reach one of those in the group whose charts are tested, it could be because that person is away and unreachable by the others. That’s all part of the story, and can be used to narrow the timing.

There are some clues, but we can’t jump to conclusions if we see that one or two aspects are forming in the client’s chart. It’s going to take a lot more than that.

I suppose if someone were going to label an axis as the death axis (and heaven help me if I have at some point in the past referred to one), they might be talking about the 2nd house / 8th house axis, because everyone thinks of the 8th house as the house of death. But it’s also lot of other things, like regeneration, sex, surgery, insurance, shared money, public support, crime, and more, and so we don’t freak out if our Sun enters the 8th house, because it’s done that once a year since our birth. The 2nd house is included in this axis almost by default. It’s the house opposite the 8th. Thus, the term “axis.” The 2nd house is the 8th house of one's spouse.

It’s true that often the 8th house (or its ruler) shows up in a death chart. Things that might stand out are the moon’s nodes across it. Or maybe some of the more pernicious planets conjunct or square it. We also look at any planets in the 8th, or any afflictions to the ruler of the 8th.

Tip: The natal Sun in the 8th house is often prominent the charts of those who become more famous after their death (often, but not always, victims such as Nicole Brown Simpson).

Just as likely to be a death axis, is the Ascendant / Descendant axis. This is because the Ascendant not only represents the physical body, but can also act as a bulls eye of sorts. Whatever is laid out in the stars to happen will do so to “you, at this time, and in this place.” And the opposite, the 7th house cusp, is representative of the place where the sun sets on life.

Also likely to be prominent in a death chart are the Midheaven (the 10th) and 4th house cusps. The 10th, a planet in the 10th, or the ruler of the 10th, might be afflicted in the death chart of someone famous, or one whose death will become famous or infamous. The 4th house represents early beginnings and final endings, among many other things.

There are three houses of endings: the 8th, the 4th, and the 12th.

The twelfth house is the house of confinement, and commonly referred to as the house of secrets, sorrows, and self-undoing. Confinement can mean many things: hospitals, asylums, jails, monasteries, convents, and hiding places among many others. So we look at the condition of planets in the 12th, and ruling the 12th.

Look at the 4th house for another condition of death. For instance, a water sign on the 4th house might mean a death on or near the water, or a body in water. In Scorpio, it might be a swamp or sewer. If Taurus was on the 4th, and Venus was placed in it, I would expect a peaceful death, in a pleasant place. Consider the signs on the cusps, as well as the planets.

Look for insidious aspects forming between pernicious planets, particularly Pluto, Neptune, Saturn, and Mars. If we find them, then we should check for upcoming eclipses. Where they hit in a chart, and the aspects they make, can be a trigger. So can the progressed moon.

I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it a million times: there are three planets I never like to see squaring off with each other: Pluto, Saturn, and Mars. Nothing good can come from it unless we’re purposely trying to set off a volcano. And I take a much harder look if they are in fixed signs, or the angles of the chart. I calculate the Saturn / Pluto midpoint and look for any aspects to it.

Look for any difficult aspects to Uranus, especially if aspected by the Moon’s Nodes, or Saturn. Mars can trigger an accident there. Mercury will be part of the picture if travel is involved. Uranus can easily indicate a sudden death, such as a heart attack or stroke. It’s there in unexpected deaths.

I would look further into the chart if one of the Heavy Hitters (Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Moon’s Nodes) were crossing the Ascendant, paying more attention if the conjunction received difficult aspects from other Heavy Hitters.

I would note what kind of aspects, if any, the natal, progressed, and directed Sun was receiving.

I would take a good look at the aspects to the ruler of the Ascendant.

Don’t overlook the 6th house of health, and its cusp, in particular. Pay attention to what’s happening to planets in the 6th, and to the ruler of the 6th.

Transiting Saturn is often on the Ascendant of death charts in the case of illness. Jupiter (surprise!) is often on the ascendant of death charts in the case of accidents involving travel, and in those whose death is a relief or welcome release. It can also show up on the Ascendant of one who inherits.

If I found many of the aspects mentioned here in a single chart, or some of the aspects mentioned here in combination with other things in the chart that painted a sinister picture, then I would look for similar aspects in the progressed and directed charts, going through the entire checklist in each of them. I would look for more confirmation in the solar and lunar returns around the suspected date. And the daily age harmonic should further confirm a small range of time.

In conclusion, I would warn those who are looking for death in the chart to remember that there are aspects for every event, but there are not always events for every aspect. Don’t get carried away or paranoid.

* This post is being edited soon after the passing of my own sister. Experience with her terminal illness has caused me to change my mind about predicting a client's death.

Never take hope from the dying. No matter how accepting of the inevitable they claim to be, they're not being honest with themselves. As human beings we cling to every minute of life until the last sand in the hourglass has run out. Usually, even the suicidal want to live; if they could make the problems go away, they would stay.