Friday, July 29, 2011



Amy Winehouse-Chased by the Dragon

Analysis without birth time:

The first thing that jumps out at you pertaining to the Vedic astrological chart of Amy Winehouse is her exalted Venus in the navamsha. Many would agree that her Venusian talents were her most striking attribute.

Her natal Venus position is staggering, for it is retrograde, exalted in the navamsha, scintillating at -4.37 magnitude, and about to station within 24 hours; all while gandanta in the underworld nakshatra of Ashlesha. The gandanta position of her ascendant lord indicates that she was, in a sense, in-between-worlds. I never saw a performer who was so absolutely in there own world on stage. It was like the audience wasn’t there, and she was singing for her cats. She rarely pandered to the audience.

The lunar mansion Ashlesha has “clingy” traits.  Many would agree that her on-and-off relationship with her ex-husband had dysfunctional clingy patterns, while exhibiting a stationary lack of progression. This also reflects the unexpected and clandestine manner in which her volatile marriage took place. Add in the debilitated Mars conjunct a retro-stationary Venus, and you get volatile aggression patterns when it comes to relating in romantic relationships. Ashlesha natives have often been known to have exposure to poisons (drugs).

Most of her songs reference relationship angst {Venus-Mars (Mars neecha as 7th lord aspected by eighth lord)}. Venus is stationed about as far south as he can transit south of the ecliptic, practically riding one of the largest constellations in the sky, the great serpent of Ashlesha–Hydra. Her stationary Venus, conjunct a debilitated Mars also led to her exhibiting self-mutilation as well as public statements of her “cutting” with her husband “to ease the pain of withdrawal”. In one instance she engaged in cutting herself while doing an interview with a media outlet.

Another combo that jumps out at you is her natal exalted, speeding Saturn, in a full-blown interlink with both Venus and Mars. This is akin to the wind stoking the flames of a forest fire of sandalwood trees–a destructive conflagration, emitting a lovely fragrance.

Interestingly, retrograde Mercury is about to merge with the Sun in Leo. This indicates an intelligent person ( budhaaditya yoga) who may not engage, or apply their intelligence due to their enthrallment with spontaneity. As second lord of food, retrograde Mercury within 24 hours from full absorption with the Sun, also reflects her idiosyncratic relationship with food.


 DISCLAIMER: The following comments are based on a rumored birth time originating from the London School of Astrology.  Obviously, analysis may be totally incorrect if it is later determined to be an erroneous time of birth.

A rumored birth time of 22:25 has come out of England, this would put her ascendant in the same pada as Rahu in Taurus – resulting in her having Rahu in the lagna of her navamsha as well. Having Rahu and ascendant in Mrgashirsha does not augur well for addicts, for the alluring Soma is the presiding deity of this star cluster. Furthermore, according to some schools, Rahu is debilitated in this placement. As many of you know, Rahu indicates drugs, alcohol and poisons. In her case her ascendant lord is stationary within a serpent drekkana conjoined the largest constellation Hydra – a serpent, with a serpent in the ascendant (Rahu), giving her an overwhelming attraction to venom (drugs). Dundiraj writes regarding Rahu in the Ascendant – Person will have some disease of the brain, be sickly, or diseased and vicious. To exacerbate these sensitive issues, her Moon is in the moksha loving eighth house, in Mula nakshatra, practically within the galactic center. To add to the dubiousness of her Moon position, a visible-from-England lunar eclipse occurred just three months before her birth in Mula star cluster, destabilizing the immediate region of her Moon’s birth nakshatra.

Dundiraj writes:  when the Moon is in the eighth, the native has a weak body due to disease, trouble from the government, and the mind and heart are always discontent.
Moon in Sagittarius: Native is skilled in arts and crafts.
Mercury in the fourth: has interest in music and dancing.
Venus in the third: has weak body structure.

This rumored birth time, puts her rising lord Venus, in the third house, a common placement for performers and musicians. The third house can indicate ripples of the eighth house, and Venus is placed in the eighth house of her navamsha. (eighth house can also indicate drugs and poisons, and of course scandals etc.).

Mars and Venus are also in the same pada. As navamsha can indicate the realm of the spouse, the Mars-Venus conjunction carries over to the navamsha and we get further indications of an entangled, challenging karmic pattern with the spouse, coupled with volatile relating patterns.

This birth time indicates that Venus is her atmakaraka and Mercury is her amatyakaraka. Along with Venus placed in the ascendant of her ekadashamsha, it would seem to corroborate her epic, meteoric rise that began occurring during Venus-Mercury dasha. These positions are interesting, for it would make Venusian themes her foremost way of connecting to atma.



                               Sun Dasha

  Though her Sun dasha brought with it her history-making 6 Grammys in 2008, her scandalous legal/personal issues, and the unfortunate circumstances that led to her untimely death all began intensifying in her Sun dasha. There are Interesting aspects of her personality as per BhatNarayan’s interpretation of Sun in the fourth house– The person will have prestigious status, but suffer from heart trouble, be mentally in conflict, suffers from starvation, fond of music, suffers from discontentment, squanders away wealth, opposes father, popular, kind and generous. Amy was known to starve herself due to eating disorders, squandered vast wealth due to cancelled tours, gigs and other engagements, seemed to be perpetually engaged in a mental war, and you know the rest. Her father once indicated that she had heart problems. K.Varma also states that Sun in fourth–causes heart problems.

Furthermore, the collapse of all the auspicious events that occurred in Sun dasha, are hinted at because the Sun is lord of a dagdha rasi, and placed therein. It is also interesting to note that the seventh house is also a dagdha rasi, explaining the terse, unfruitful endings to many of her interpersonal relations. Moreover, the fourth house predominantly influences the need for moksha, so there is a tendency to be “burned” in pursuit of moksha.

Ascendant, ascendant lord and Moon, all placed in prstodaya and ubhayodaya nakshatras indicate the reluctant, distorted and asymmetrical manner in which she engaged her affairs. Ninth lord in the 6th house was not helpful for her luck (dushkriti).

The most notable Arabic/Western aspect occurs with her dusthana Moon, and dusthana Saturn, indicating a propensity toward depression and mental issues that may lead to legal problems and scandals (Purnaithishala). This is a monumental indicator for a lack of mental harmony.

Moon as Dara Karaka in the eighth aspected by an exalted, sprinting Saturn, point to drugs, and the numerous scandals relating to spouse, as well as his prison sentence ( I know, not a Jaimini aspect).

The strongest planet–exalted Saturn, aspects both her rising lord, Mars (7th lord) and her natal Moon, creating a meandering melancholy distracting her mental state and romantic relations. The mutual aspect of 7th lord Mars and Saturn point to her violent, and tumultuous marriage, as well as her funky, and sometimes violent manners of expression. (she was sued for assault, and in another instance was cited for brawling)

The fifth from fourth and ninth, contain a comprimised Moon and Rahu, respectively. This points to the exasperation and frustration her parents must have experienced dealing with a child processing various addictions.



              RETURN OF THE DRAGON

Having the Moon and ascendant lord, both placed in dusthanas, while a malefic aspects the Moon and a malefic is posited in Lagna is a classic combination for alpayu (short-life).

**When a strong graha aspects the eighth house death will be due to the vitiation of the Dosha represented by that graha. In this case it is Saturn. Dehydration must have been a major factor to her death. The fact that Saturn is sprinting at its fastest pace, and exalted; aspecting the ascendant lord and the Moon in dusthanas, points to a lethal dose of Vata derangement.

** Even if raised by royalty, When Mercury conjoins the Sun, aspected by benefics the child lives till 11 {obviously one of these grahas should be khara or chidra (which is the case) for this to work} nonetheless, it indicates another short life combo.

Sri Vaidyanath— The Dasa period of a planet occupying the end of a sign brings disease. Obviously the Shastras indicate a planet at 29 degrees, though in her case the Sun was at 28 degrees.

Mantreshwar states very clearly about a compromised Moon in the 8thnative is shortlived. 

Her issues yelling at her audience, storming off stage and cursing at fans are hinted at by Sage Bhrigu —The native with Sun in the 4th  will be opposed to the public.

Mansagari hits the nail on the head with — the native will be an expert in vocal and instrumental music.

Classical formulas indicate she was unconscious for an hour and fourteen minutes before death.


Death occurs in Sun-Mercury-Jupiter in vimshottari dasha. Sun as lord of the 22nd drekkana is the first sign things may not be kosher. Combine that with Mercury being lord of a maraka house at sandhi, and Jupiter lord of the eighth in maraka placement and we have a line up of three passive death-inflictors.

 She was running Sun-Mer (dagdha lord, 22nd derkkana, lord, and maraka lord)  when she parted, and they are located in the fourth house indicating her residence, death occurred at home.

When she was discovered deceased, Moon was transiting the 12th House–Aries, conjunct within a few degrees of transiting maraka and eighth lord Jupiter.

The Moon is the only planet escaping, the otherwise potent kala-sarpa yoga–hmmm.

Finally, the position of Rahu and Ketu is the most interesting as relates to her passing.  At the time of her passing the Rahu/Ketu axis was within one degree of where it was at the time of her birth. Furthermore, three eclipses took place on that very axis within the last 7 weeks before her death. The Lunar eclipse of June 15, 2011 (almost an exact replica of the lunar eclipse that occurred three months before her birth) traversed the very arc of her natal Moon-Ketu, just three days before her disastrous last performance in Serbia, in which she appeared heavily intoxicated to the point of mumbling through her set in a slur of incoherence before she was booed off stage. The Lunar eclipse across the arc of her natal Ketu and Moon must have triggered many lurking shadows in her mind, and definitely a resurgence of drug abuse and relationship issues. Lastly, an unpredictable Mars transited the very degree of her natal Rahu position and the transiting axis of the serpents at the time of her death.

Some of my close Jyotisha friends have heard me express my belief that the preponderance of mysterious drug related deaths amongst many artist (Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Brian Jones, Basquiat etc.) occurring at age twenty-seven, is directly related to the third transiting return of the Rahu/Ketu axis; usually, linked to a detrimental graha/s in a challenging avastha.

Her isolation at death, her search for true love reflected in many of her lyrics, and her issues with drugs are exemplified in the ancient descriptions of her notable Venus placement— A man with a flat face, On a boat, alone in the ocean, journeys to get ornaments for his wife, he is clad in golden adornments, surrounded by a snake.



                                                                            


RIP Ms. Winehouse, may you jam with the Ghandhavas in a heavenly abode.





                     OM YAMAYA NAMAH

              
                                          Vedic Astrology- key to 2012


Jyotisha Miscellany

1)  When Mercury is in Leo aspected by a malefic death is due to an imbalance of the tri-doshas
2)  When the Moon is waning and occupies the eighth house and the Lagna is occupied by a malefic planet death occurs at age 32 (In this case Moon is Waxing but it almost fits like a glove)
3)  Violent mental states are indicated by this shloka– When the Lagna lord and Mars are together in Rashi as well as the Navamsha person will be a cruel killer– (this was of course tempered by the sattvic, beneficial ninth aspect of Jupiter). After decking a fan, she kneed her husband in his reproductive area when he attempted to intervene. Her glib and seemingly proud attitude about her violent interactions with her husband indicates this questionable attitude.

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