Singing Sun

[original post 2005-03-21] Astrology books and websites give a variety of ascendants for the Dalai Lama; however there is clear evidence he was born at sunrise. In Kundun Mary Craig says “He came into the world by the light of a single mustard-oil lamp, at daybreak on the fifth day of the fifth month of Wood Hog Year (6 July 1935)”. A sunrise birth is attested by his mother and other family members. By definition a sunrise birth puts the sun close to the Ascendant, and as the Sun is at ~20 Gemini the Dalai Lama must have a Gemini Ascendant. Here we use a time which puts the sun a few minutes below the horizon.

A sunrise birth may be regarded as a plus indication when identifying a reincarnation – Sun in the 1st house tends to confer “presence” and authority, something Tibetans expect to see in high lamas. Mercury at 2Gem33 is in the 1st house, creating a Mahapurush “great person” yoga. The Mercury form (Bhadra Yoga) indicates someone of great intellect, respected by the learned, and good at speeches. A powerful Mercury in this position makes for a great public communicator, and this is one great service the Dalai Lama has done for his people – he has continually spoken on behalf of Tibetans and taught Buddhism all over the world.

His chart also has signs his fame would be in the spiritual/religious field. Ketu in the 1st house indicates a religious destiny and a spiritual seeker; although it can also suggest sudden changes in life. The 10th lord is Jupiter, which rules priesthoods among other things, and it’s located in the fortunate 5th house, which rules both intellect and purva punya – past life karma… which from this placement must be good!

Saturn in its own sign of Aquarius in the 9th, and Venus, the Moon, and Neptune together in the 3rd, are on the teaching & communication axis. Many public figures have strong 9th/3rd houses. Saturn’s placement gives the Dalai Lama great authority as a teacher; being aspected by Moon & Venus gives also a kind of sweetness and ease to his teaching.

Note that this is not the chart of a yogi or contemplative, which would show more emphasis in moksha houses, e.g. the 12th. Although the Dalai Lama does of course meditate and pray at least a couple of hours each day, he himself says the pressure of  his work for Tibet and his teaching engagements mean he cannot spend as much time on spiritual practise as he would like.   It’s the chart of someone with a strong spiritual bent who lives their life to teach and help in the world….  or, we might say, one who is like Chenrezig, the bodhisattva of Compassion.

[original post 2006] Here is the chart of the great artist of the 20th Century, Pablo Picasso. The data comes with a Rodden AA rating, apparently deriving from Picasso’s birth certificate.

The most immediately astonishing thing about this chart is that it contains no less than four debilitated planets!  And that’s if you don’t count the nodes.  Sun, Moon, Venus and Saturn are all debilitated, and none of the remaining planets are in ideal places. Debilitated planets can either be simply weak or badly behaved trouble-makers, depending on the planet and the circumstances. On the face of it they are likely to give bad results. But they also induce the person to focus on their house area psychologically, so that by working with the energy people improve the results, altho results are always liable to be mixed.

Picasso’s ascendant sign is Cancer, with its lord the Moon in the 5th house in Scorpio, where it is debilitated. However, being in the 5th house is good and its close conjunction with Rahu gives it considerable power. Further, the Moon (and Rahu) are aspected by Jupiter, which adds grace and strength it would not otherwise have. This is by far the strongest pattern in Picasso’s chart.

There are two notable things about this – first, that altho the arts in general may be signified by the 3rd house, painting has its special place in the 5th house. Picasso started painting as a child and never stopped.

The second thing about the Moon-Rahu-Jupiter pattern is Picasso spent his life around women; his childhood with his mother & sisters, and his adult life with not only his wives but various mistresses and lovers. There were also many problems in those relationships, and he was by all accounts a controlling and difficult partner..  in this we see the bad side of his Moon. Picasso was a great painter but not always an admirable character –  hardly surprising with so many debilitated planets! His biographers describe him as manipulative, one of the possible effects of 12 th house Mars. A 12th house Mars can signify a yogi or contemplative, but when it doesn’t produce someone with spiritual awareness it often produces manipulation and behind-the-scenes conniving.

Notice Venus debilitated in Virgo. Venus represents the arts generally, here in the 3rd house it adds weight to Picasso’s immersion in art. Its debilitation is slightly ameliorated because it receives an aspect from Jupiter (a trine); but it’s also less beneficially aspected by Mars, so it’s a mixed bag. It’s interesting that the art Picasso became famous for was Cubism and his modernistic style. He abandoned traditional forms and proportions of art in favor of a more spiky, less aesthetically graceful, but strong style. In this may be seen the influence of all those debilitated planets, especially Venus.  You could say this was a case of making lemonade out of lemons!

Saturn in the 10th obviously signifies Picasso’s fame and pre-eminent position in modern art, altho again we notice it’s a debilitated Saturn; he became famous above all for breaking the mold in art. Saturn also rules his relationships with women, and Picasso was notorious for them too. 

Saturn with Neptune is not a “pattern” in vedic astrology, but it is recognised in western astrology, and there we find it in the charts of people who try to build an ideal. Saturn represents the desire to construct, and Neptune the dream. John F. Kennedy had it, and from it springs the idea of the “Kennedy Camelot”. Here it perhaps suggests an artistic dedication, a constant pursuit of ideal artistic expression.