Astro-Notes on the Life and Death of the Famous Blavatsky
by Jude Cowell
The Wikipedia page of Madame Blavatsky contains a fairly informative overview of her life for the curious of which I am one. No fan of hers nor of her work, I admit, but the recent 190th anniversary of her death on May 8, 2021 got me wondering about the astrological particulars of a lady who made such a lasting mark upon the world by founding the Theosophical Society and via her writings such as The Secret Doctrine.
Yelena Petrovna von Hahn born August 12, 1831 Ekaterinoslav, Ukraine
Searching, I discovered that there are multiple birth times for her as you can see by following the link, above, including one provided by the lady herself (4:38 am LMT), one with a RR: C (2:17 am LMT), and a third rectified by Mr. Starkman (2:34:56 am LMT) which I will be using for the bi-wheel horoscopes, below, with a speculative Death Horoscope, outer, timed by the Taurus New Moon which perfected on May 8, 1891, the day of her death.
Now another astrologer such as yourself may go about such a task differently but you're not here so this is how yours truly is approaching it, speculative as it must be!
Now as you see, the lady's natal Jupiter @17AQ14 Rx conjuncts natal Uranus Rx suggesting oportunities for world travel such as her relocation to NYC in 1873 where she met Colonel Olcott and they founded the Society, and their journey to India where they founded a chapter of the organization. Yet I mention her Jupiter because it turns up Angular in the Death Horoscope (based on the Taurus New Moon) - and expansive Jupiter is often active and/or Angular at times of death, either natal, transit, or both. As you see, this Jupiter-MC conjunction is to the degree. ('MC' = Midheaven, the most visible point in any horoscope and indicating The Objective or Goal). Often "too much of a good thing" is suggested such as with overindulgence causing health problems that ruin vitality. We might also note that in her natal chart (no matter the birth hour), her Leo Sun (vitality, essence, adult personality - Leo = the heart) opposes her Jupiter-Uranus conjunction denoting a restless wanderer and a seeker of knowledge who may have had trouble in the religious sphere of life.
(Here let's note the famous W.B. Yeats quote, "The problem with theosophy was that its followers wanted to turn a good philosophy into a bad religion.")
Now I don't know Blavatsky's level of overindulgence during her lifetime (at death she was overweight - and her Moon-Venus conjunction suggests glandular issues) but the possibility of overindulgence is worth considering. She did, after all, die at age 60. Now there's a clue! 60 years old hints that karmic Saturn may have been involved with her health conditions and death, with 'grim reaper' Saturn ruling Time and such things as blockages, stoppages, hindrances, restriction, and loss. And death. Plus, penned on the right side of the chart is a problematic midpoint picture which relates to liver, gall bladder, and chronic disease: Jupiter-Saturn = Mars.
Furthermore, Blavatsky's natal Saturn closely conjuncts her Mars (energy, action, motivation), a stop-go sort of aspect and this shows that her every Saturn Return was also a Saturn-to-Mars transit which tends to dampen one's energy and may cause chronic illnesses and/or conditions to flare up particularly in relation to bones and teeth (Saturn). Basically it's a time when one is vulnerable to physical complaints of various kinds which may include fever (Mars) or epidemics. (Note that the Mars-Saturn midpoint is the death axis accord ing to Reinhold Ebertin.) So her death on May 8, 1891 came after her last three-fer Saturn Return/s (@2Vir14 - Virgo, sign of stomach, abdomen, digestion, purification - and Mars can indicate infection).
Blavatsky's Saturn Return Dates: 1. November 12 1889; 2. January 15, 1890; 3. July 26, 1890, with karmic Saturn 'hitting' natal Mars each time. To me the most obvious factor in all three of these return charts is that they show Madame Blavatsky's natal Saturn squared by the Great Conjunction of Neptune and Pluto in early Gemini! Transit Neptune square natal Saturn indicates a period of increasing worries, hidden fears, deception, and unrealistic expectations. How a person copes with such weakening energy affecting lifestyle, authority, level of debt, business and work will be determined by age, medical factors, and willingness to engage with the issues which may include a sense of failure. Of course, this Neptunian transit simultaneously squares natal Mars which doubles the indications already noted.
Then there's transit Pluto square natal Saturn and this brings in potentials for heavy burdens, forced acceptance of responsibilities, and trouble with authority positions, hers or others. Severe criticism may have resulted during this time frame (1889--1890) and perhaps a detailed biography of her life and times could reveal such details. (I don't own one but perhaps you do.) Added to these difficult potentials is transit Pluto square natal Mars which suggests that wrong physical actions such as the physical abuse of others and dishonesty are the cause of obstacles in her path at that time. Aggression increases with this square and leads to turmoil in relationships, especially with males. In addition, her sense of competition may have increased under these forceful Plutonian energies yet, in sync with her stop-go, frustrating Mars-Saturn conjunction, the squares from underming Neptune could have made circumstances more uncertain for her and added to a sense of insecurity, doubt, and disappintment.
Now I don't know for how long the lady was ill toward the end of her life (I believe it was for a period of time, cause of death unspecified) but to me her 1890/91 Saturn Return/s reflect difficult circumstances of living (possible penury?) and physical complaints that eventually ended the life of the great and controversial Madame Blavatsky.
In closing, here's a 2015 article which may interest you, dear reader, for it concerns the lady and some secret letters advising her colleagues on how to 'fabricate miracles'. When published (Pluto) the letters caused a big scandal for Blavatsky in 1884, The Unmasking of a 19th Century Imposter. Do you suppose the author of the article was aware that Blavatsky's natal Jupiter (and Death New Moon's MC!) @18Aquarius (when rounded up) reveals the Sabian Symbol, "A Man Unmasked"?
As always, your on-topic insights are welcome but absolutely NO Ads will be published so don't waste your time! jc
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