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Julie Demboski's ASTROLOGY

Tag Archives: health

Grief, the Heart, and Brittany Murphy

21 Monday Dec 2009

Posted by juliedemboski in astrology, health

≈ 6 Comments

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Brittany Murphy, health, Sun

“It’s alright to keep your grief, long’s you make room for other things”   Bubbles, The Wire

We are so often told we must forgive, forget, move on, recover; we begin, in fact, to feel that if we aren’t complex-free and happy, we’re in some way defective. This just isn’t so; a natural part of the human condition is to grieve for what was, could’ve been, for our regrets, for the sadnesses that are woven through our days, including the impersonal ones that come to us through the news, the neighborhood, the internet, unbidden. Even without significant trauma, the passage of time will bring change, and that alone can bring us grief, as we look back and recall how things looked different in the past (including ourselves!) how we were more optimistic, or innocent, or energized–and so often in hindsight it seems what we faced was simpler, the choices more easily discerned. the opportunities missed; and yet, if we’re honest we realize that at the time, what was presented was the ultimate challenge, in terms of our ability to deal with the alternatives. We tend to think it was all easier, back when–but in truth our minds have smoothed over the edges–we’ve forgotten the depth of our fears, our goals in the moment, and all the influences we were under.

The natal horoscope gives some suggestion of where we might be vulnerable throughout life, and can point to the areas where we may store our grief. Our Moon is a prime repository, and the House with Cancer on the cusp can be the point where we pour that upset into the physical world;  Neptune may be involved, as we follow the natural impulse and hide from, mask, or misunderstand the affected areas; and Sedna may be the new kid on the block, but also one to watch, as her touch makes understanding (even perception!) impossible in the affected arenas; and hard contacts to the Sun can be debilitating, suggesting Soul vulnerabilities that affect the literal and figurative heart.

Actress Brittany Murphy (10 November 1977, Atlanta GA, no time available) died suddenly yesterday in her Los Angeles home, and my first thought on hearing this was that her heart may have stopped from an electrolyte imbalance; her extremely thin appearance of late points to this as a possibility, and she would not have been the first Hollywood actress to suffer this (Kellie Waymire had a similar cardiac disruption at a young age). With Brittany, no time of birth is available, so we can’t attribute signs to cusps, but transits and Solar Arcs tell us something of the possibilities.

Transiting Neptune and Jupiter are sextile natal Ceres, suggesting the possibility of an exaggerated and poorly chosen diet, perhaps an intensive fast; T Pluto is trine Chiron in Earth–could there have been a strong impetus for transformation (clearly gone too far) as the primal wound is stimulated? I heard a media individual say this morning that Brittany’s career had peaked five years ago; if this was her perception, too, then who knows what emotional damage this may have done, and what it might have spurred her to do to try to change the situation; Solar Arc Pluto was conjunct the Sun, symbol of the heart; and on the day of death, December 20th (and just prior to and concurrent with the time of discovery) the transiting Moon was square natal Uranus, bringing the emotional ‘light’ to bear on the nervous system, and the higher functions specifically. Could this in total show a grief that overcame this young woman? Of course, all this is purely speculative, as cause of death is still to be determined, but the loss of someone young always draws our attention, and gives us a fresh source of Collective, and even personal, grief, through our own empathetic nature.

Addendum: Reports now are stating that Murphy was vomiting severely prior to her collapse; this is a classic symptom of heart failure, whether from natural or induced causes. The chart and transits don’t suggest to me any drug involvement.

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Jupiter and Spirit Pt.2: A Life Example

14 Monday Sep 2009

Posted by juliedemboski in astrology, Astrology of Careers Vocations and Callings, natal placement

≈ 11 Comments

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Bernie Siegel, careers vocations and callings, health, real life astrology

When we look for Jupiter activity as part of the life purpose, we may tend to dismiss it as more of a role designation than anything else: we see it as strong in educators, the clergy, publishing and broadcasting, those concerned with religion, those involved with travel or foreign lands in some way, or with those linked to Jupiter prominence by Gauquelin’s now legendary study, to include politicians, those with career military involvement, and playwrights–at least, that’s the conventional theory. But I find it much more strongly indicative of a strength of spirit, one that signifies a Soul-need to expand outward, to connect with others, and this need shows up in all walks of life (though Gauquelin’s study did not connect Jupiter to physicians–in fact he showed a Mars prominence for them, at least in terms of placement in the energized sectors surrounding the angles)–yet our example is a well-known oncologist whose seminal work has changed attitudes and treatment for millions of patients and the attitudes of health professionals, and in this way it’s pointed out to us that the spiritually oriented impulse to connect with others overrides every other interest and function, and typically works in concert with other life callings.

Surgeon and cancer specialist Bernie Siegel (14 October 1932  10:00 AM  Brooklyn  NY USA) helped revolutionize the way both patients and health care professionals look at the disease process and the meaning of it as an experience, one that can promote spiritual and emotional healing no matter the physical outcome–and yet we now may forget that there was a time when the mind/ body/ spirit connection was not only not acknowledged, it wasn’t even recognized as existing by the vast majority of individuals, and was a particularly unacceptable idea within the medical community. Despite advances in mental health methodologies, and the promotion of psychotherapy as an increasingly more interactive means of exploring mental process, we were still, well into the 70s, warned by the medical establishment that physical disease had origins only within the physical world; to suggest to one’s physician that emotional ills might be connected to physical ones immediately earned one a label as less-than-rational, and to imply that a spiritual dis-ease could be at the root of things . . . one could be stamped ‘delusional’ and dismissed (and for a woman this kind of labeling could be truly dangerous, as in the male-dominated world of medicine the tendency afterward was often for dismissal of reported symptoms, as well).

In the late 70s and early 80s, Dr. Siegel formulated ideas about the mind/ spirit/ body interaction based on his own observations in treating cancer patients, and formed the first ECap group (Exceptional Cancer Patients), based on the idea that those who survived medical therapies and went into remission showed some distinct characteristics: a generally optimistic orientation to life (and typically an early programmed belief in their own toughness or that they are a survivor no matter what), a real desire to live life (rather than a desire not to die), and a belief that the medicine offered actually helped their condition (and Dr. Siegel points out in one of his books that if you read the protocols on a chemo package you see mention only of the destructive things this product will do to one’s body, and nothing about healing or helping).

Dr. Siegel pioneered the use of art and imagery in healing; specifically, by studying patients and their drawings he found a way into the subconscious, to see what the individual really believed about his or her illness and the effectiveness of treatment–as well he encouraged patients to use imagery in conjunction with medical treatments, believing that this linking of physical and mental intents toward healing vastly improved results.

When we look at Dr. Siegel’s natal chart, we see some factors that illustrate his life focus and his inclinations very well. The most immediately striking feature may be the Cardinal Grand Square involving the Libra Sun in the 10th (the Self must shine publicly and in relation to others), the Pluto/ Vertex conjunction in Cancer in the 8th (dealing with and empathizing with the darkest experiences of others, handling destructive forces of others, is a fated involvement–Vertex as a point of Fate), an exact conjunction of the Moon, Uranus, and the Earth in Aries in the 4th (the Self carries emotional groundedness and innovative and intellectual ability, some of which may spring from the family of origin–and this is verified in Dr. Siegel’s stories of the positive survivorship mentality instilled in him by his relatives), and Ceres in Capricorn in the 2nd (a serious, fact-based understanding of and command of nature and negotiation as a personal asset). The configuration promises that when one is activated all are activated, and that the inherent tension among the factors spurs the individual to action (Cardinal placements).

So how does Jupiter as a significator of the spirit figure in to this dynamic life picture? Contact is made through a trine of Ceres to Jupiter, which sits in the 9th (in this case, taking an educational function for expression), and conjunct the South Node (past experiences come forward to aid the present), Neptune (in this instance, Art, imagination, imagery), and Venus, Sun ruler (values, relationships, love and caring). Here, co-operation between Ceres’ energies and Jupiterian ones may signify that spirit acts as a bridge between the functions of the values and creative imagination and the life function in teaching and guiding others, just as Ceres acted as the bridge between the upper World and the Underworld in negotiating the circumstances of her daughter’s marriage to Pluto (and when we note Pluto’s position in the Grand Square it’s not a stretch to see how Dr. Siegel may act the part of bridge almost literally for his patients, as he has a clear understanding of and ability to negotiate the Plutonian journeys of those he treats).

His Pluto is also involved with a Fist of God configuration with Ascendant apex, the sesquiquadrates to Pluto on the one hand and Earth/ Uranus/ Moon on the other. This lends a strength, insistence, and dynamism to the expression of all related energies through the personality, and perhaps gives the remarkable ‘bedside manner’ and ability to both empathize with and instill confidence in those works with.

In Siegel’s classic book  Love, Medicine, and Miracles he quotes Jungian psychotherapist Dr. Susan Bach, who created one of the first effective and consistent methods for interpreting the contents of patient’s drawings for medical use:

The study of such spontaneous material could give us a glimpse into the psyche-soma relation comprehended as the oldest and best married couple on this earth . . .

Sound like anyone we know? Jupiter, in his role as supreme god was married to Juno, his beloved and yet much disrespected wife, and together they ruled all the other gods (energies), but in Siegel’s chart they have an uneasy relationship, the kind that keeps the individual busy attempting to reconcile the disparate goals and needs. Juno is involved in a Grand Trine with the old man Saturn and Chiron (in the 6th, a House prominently linked to health work), and this suggests nothing so much as the signature of a healer, someone empowered to muster Chirotic energies in the physical world–and this contacts Jupiter via his sesquiquadrate to Saturn, a combo that implies spirit is perpetually in adjustment to the realities of any situation, an attitude that when well-handled, as it is in Dr. Siegel’s case, brings leaps forward in the chosen life arena.Bernie Siegel natal chart

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Taking a Bite Out of Heaven

21 Monday Apr 2008

Posted by juliedemboski in aspects and placements, astrology

≈ 10 Comments

Tags

health

Today was the last in a series of physical exams, tests, biopsies, and a minor surgery (last week–didn’t want to mention it until the results were back). I have been given a provisional clean bill of health (with future check-ups planned for, but no further treatment needed for the moment), which is certainly a relief. I just couldn’t resist a look at the chart for today’s meeting with the last in a long line of doctors (and I have to say, I’ve been led to some of the most delightful, skilled, and caring health care providers ever). No surprise, then, that the chart for the time of my meeting (the actual time, rather than the appointment time) showed the transiting Midheaven exactly conjunct my natal Moon, ruler of my 6th of health and job/ everyday activities. Transiting Uranus is also conjunct my Moon (and this was indeed a sudden health crisis with a relatively quick resolution–though I’m thinking the final ‘out of the woods’ period will come with the next eclipse set, as the crisis was set off by the one in February). Mars is within trine to my Moon, suggesting action in these matters as Mars moves through my 6th–it rules my intercepted 2nd, and this episode has had a decisive effect on how I see myself. Jupiter is sextile my Moon, and the knowledge imparted today about my status was both reassuring and widened my personal horizons–travel, learning, and ‘getting the word out’ are all still a part of the future for me (for a while, I wasn’t so sure they would be). And finally, transiting Chiron is semi-sextile the Moon, healing me physically (Moon ruling 6th) and emotionally.

This all brings to mind a cake we bought late last week, a wonderful coconut angel cake that was exactly like taking a bite out of heaven. Venus, planet of cake (or, ruler of pleasures, at least!) opposed my Sun and conjuncted my Earth last week from my 2nd–and I had to wonder, waiting for the biopsy results, just how much more earthly enjoyment I might be allowed. It seems I’m being given another chance, and I intend to revel in and appreciate it, to make the most of all the wonderful, delicious bits of my life. And I urge all of you to be conscious of, and to thoroughly enjoy, the ‘angel cake’ of your own life.

There’s one more thing I’d like to mention, chiefly because the idea of waking during surgery has been talked about quite a bit lately–and it happened to me! I was under, but lightly, and I think the pain of what was happening ‘broke through,’ and woke me up. I remember simultaneously feeling a horrible, burning pain and seeing myself, in a completely different position than I was in when I went under (which turned out to be the position I woke up in at the end), and the doctor working rather intently. I was speaking, saying how much it hurt, and I think it unnerved everyone in the room–and I recall the nurse telling me it didn’t hurt that much, trying to quiet me! On the day of the surgery Pallas and Mercury (ruler of my 8th of surgery) were exactly conjunct each other and exactly conjunct my natal Earth and opposed my Sun–a ‘wise’ time to operate, perhaps. The Moon was in Gemini and moving through my 4th, suggesting, along with Mercury, nerve vulnerability, that involved my deepest Self, quite literally!

It’s been an incredible journey for me, and one I’m grateful for, as I appreciate life with new eyes now. I met many wonderful, caring people along the way, and thank them, and so many of my readers, for the kindness and support they’ve shown. Now, we can get back to what’s important: astrology and cake!

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