Did poet Emily Dickinson use Astrology?

An Astro-Tribute to Poet Emily Dickinson

by Jude Cowell

As we discover on her Wikipedia page, Emily Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts on December 10, 1830 and passed away from Bright's Disease of the kidneys on May 15, 1886, age 55. Tragically, years of multiple losses of her family members had created a very depressive atmosphere for the shy poet and she began to weaken, then succumb.

Two Poems Suggest Her Intimate Understanding

According to master astrologer Matthew Swann on his Medium page, two poems written by Emily Dickinson reveal her understanding and use of Astrology. Hopefully you can read Matthew's post (I signed up with Medium just so I could!) which includes examples from the two poems.

Now here's the natal horoscope of Emily Dickinson rated B (biography) with not even one of my messy study notes scribbled on:

The Syzygy Moon (last lunation, a Full Moon) prior to her birth fell at @7Gem27 and Emily was born under the auspices of the 13 North Solar Eclipse of September 16, 1830 @23Vir40:00 with its themes of separation, and of breaking an existing bond (B. Brady). Then as you know, both Gemini and Virgo, ruled by Scribe Mercury the Messenger, are writer's signs, and when her Solar Eclipse manifested, it conjoined the Mercury-Saturn midpoint with the planetary pair known to identify the professional writer. Plus, solar eclipses in Virgo denote issues of the work ethic, discrimination, perception, criticism, and health problems which may or may not be inherited (R. Lineman).

Then as you see, a highly creative Jupiter-Neptune conjunction must have supplied her with an endless source of inspiration, and with Capricorn's Saturn, ruler of form and structure, a cosmic vessel in which to pour her creations was provided. And there's her innovative Uranus in futuristic Aquarius, possibly posited in the 3rd house of Communications!

Emily Dickinson: May she R.I.P.

Emily's 'Death Eclipse' perfected on March 5, 1886 @15Pis17 in the 14 South Saros Series with themes of an obsessive idea finally accepted leading to success and/or a breakthrough (paraphrasing Brady). Well, as we know success did happen for her - in subsequent years after death. In Pisces, a solar eclipse suggests that one is on at highest level of spiritual understanding, so any worries for the deeply reflective lady on that score may be misplaced.

Even so, she was a poet through and through and to me it's very sad that during Emily Dickinson's lifetime her writings were unsung, while posthumously she is now considered to be a major American poet - an original and a pioneer with words (partially attributed to her natal Mars-Pluto conjunction in the pioneering sign of Aries!)

So what's my recommendation, dear reader? Check out Matthew Swann's post linked, above, and perhaps pay a visit to Emily's informative page which displays the only known image of the poet as an adult -- at the Poetry Foundation website!