Immune system afflictions

[Jim Eshelman]

I am exploring what I consider a likely astrological truth, that Moon "rules" the immune system. This makes much theoretical sense: Moon's characteristic role of vulnerability and responsiveness paired with adaptive response is exactly what the immune system does. There is also a satisfying pairing between Sun and Moon functions if this is true, the mating of one's natural level of vitality and a well-functioning immune system. As a third (probably lesser) factor, Moon's connection to all body fluids surely includes lymph, which is a crucial part of the immune system.

Predictively, afflictions to Moon are the most common causes of illness. This becomes a simple, elegant matter if Moon governs the immune system and her afflictions show its temporary impairment or roused fury.

I think the best way to investigate whether this is an objective fact is to study diseases of the immune system. These are of two primary kinds: too weak and too strong. Each of these breaks down into lesser and greater versions (degree), and then there are dozens of itemized immune system afflictions. What's outrageously interesting is that these immune system diseases are so numerous that most of them would never be connected to Moon except in a generic way - they range all over the body and take numerous forms. If, in fact, we find a key to anticipating immune system diseases, we will have found a very powerful key to astro-diagnosis and perhaps even opened new doors to medical diagnosis.

Immune system insufficiency takes lesser and greater forms (under a variety of differentiating names). An extreme case is AIDS where the entire immune system is compromised. There are also lesser levels of immunity insufficiency. These would be hard to research (and we wouldn't want to include pathogen-caused cases like HIV where there are too many exogenous factors involved.

Other diseases are marked by an over-active immune system. The lesser cases are quite widespread and mostly consist of skin allergies, nasal allergies, and asthma, individual forms that have multiple astrological causes and are too widespread to study easily.

The best cases to study IMHO are those of more extreme immune system overactivity. These are pretty much all in the category of autoimmune diseases: Diseases where the immune system attacks some place or system in the body and causes severe and often degenerative conditions. If we found keys to anticipate these, it would be a great boon to proactive medicine.

I doubt it will be as simple as "Moon is afflicted and in a sign corresponding to the body part where this occurs." We rarely get quite this level of straightforward marker. Nonetheless, I'm eager to see if a basic pattern emerges and how much it tells us.

I will use celebrity cases with reliably timed births.

[Jim Eshelman]

In hemolytic anemia, the immune system attacks and destroys red blood cells.

I can't find celebrity cases with this. I'm leaving a space here in case there are cases in the future that we can study and replace this "holding place" note.

[Jim Eshelman]

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease of the intestines causing gluten intolerance. Appearing in infancy (before two years of age), it causes diarrhea, abdominal distention, malabsorption, loss of appetite, under-development (not growing at the normal pace, I think from insufficient nutrition). This can continue into adulthood with different symptom sets.

One site lists Zooey Deschanel, Keith Olbermann, Elizbeth Hasselback, Jane Swift, Katherine Duchess of Kent, and Susie Essman.

ZOOEY DESCHANEL. (Multiple serious food allergies.) Moon Sagittarius, Mars Leo. Moon-Sun-Mercury conjunction on Asc. Moon and Mercury sq Pluto. (Sounds perhaps like immune system hyperactivity routed through allergies, which is the case. Mercury is most angular.)

KEITH OLBERMANN. (No time known.) Leo Moon, Taurus Mars (maybe Aries). Sun-Neptune, Venus-Mars-Jupiter. - He has a weak case of celiac, and seems a poor example without a time, but I'll leave him here.

ELIZABETH HASSELBACK. (No time known.) Possibly Moon-Pluto. Mercury to Saturn and Uranus, Venus-Mars, Jupiter-Neptune. Without a time, I can't tell what's going on.

JANE SWIFT. Scorpio Moon (immediate background), Leo Mars (immediate foreground). Sun-Mercury-Saturn-Uranus. Jupiter-Neptune. Uranus-Pluto. Unclear what the profile is other than the known body stuff of a Scorpio Moon plus the angular Mars.

KATHERINE DUCHESS OF KENT. Capricorn Moon, Leo Mars. Lots of aspects: Foreground Mercury-Mars-Jupiter, Sun-Moon-Mercury, Moon-Saturn, Mercury-Neptune. Mixed Uranus-Pluto. Mars 0°23' from angle shows an overall inflammation, Moon-Saturn is quite on target. Otherwise, there is so much it's hard to dig through.

SUSIE ESSMAN. (No time.) Virgo Moon, Gemini Mars. Venus-Saturn, Jupiter-Uranus-Neptune. No good clues without a birth time.


Not a lot of help here because of the lack of birth times. There was some Moon affliction and a fair bit of marsy inflammation, but not enough good data to draw any conclusions.

[Jim Eshelman]

IBD is an inflammatory condition of the large and small intestines, including such variations as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. There is a known genetic predisposition. Environmental factors then interact with the body to trigger an extreme immune response. The disease is managed primarily by diet control.

Celebrities diagnosed with this include Sharon Doherty, Dwight Eisenhower, Amy Brenneman, JFK (suspected but not firmly diagnosed), and Shinzo Abe.

SHARON DOHERTY. Libra Moon, Sagittarius Mars. The only close hard aspect in her chart is (mundane) Sun square Mars, with Sun in Pisces (= intestines). Primarily a soft aspect chart with Pluto closely rising. Background Moon's main aspects are close soft aspects to Venus and Mars, so there's no heavy firestorm on the Moon (nor does Moon's sign seem related).

DWIGHT EISENHOWER'S birth time is uncertain, even controversial. Moon was in Libra and Mars in Sagittarius (two in a row for both!) and, for the most common birth time (6 AM) it is closely square Jupiter. Natal hard aspects include Venus-Neptune-Pluto and - like Doherty! - Sun square Mars mundanely (but foreground if 6 AM and with Sun in Virgo, not Pisces; though, again, connection to the intestines is a secondary connection). The similarities are most interesting, Moon is not afflicted in any sense, Sun-Mars makes the most sense but is probably foreground, and the (perhaps middleground) Venus aspects make no sense.

AMY BRENNEMAN. Scorpio Moon, Taurus Mars. Both Moon and Mars are opposite, square a Saturn-Uranus opposition as a gigantic middleground feature (closer and more severe mundanely). She has a nearly-foreground Jupiter-Neptune opposition that is probably not involved and a background close Mercury-Venus opposition of unclear meaning. Moon is definitely afflicted with marks of inflammation and likely hard health impact (though none of the signs point to her IBD body areas). - So, yes for Moon afflictions and no for anything that I think signals where in her body this would hit.

JOHN F. KENNEDY. This was never formally diagnosed, but is suspected; so he might not be the best case. It's known that he suffered severe diarrhea all of his life and took antispasmodic drugs to control it. (He had many other health problems, and the larger picture may be shown by his culminating Saturn conjunct Neptune.) Moon in Leo, Mars in Aries (colon). His Moon-Venus square is his strongest background aspect (not an affliction by any means, but still a Moon aspect in the immediate background). Mercury conjunct Mars (his chronic pain, irritation and excitation of spinal nerves firing off) and Jupiter (meaning unclear here), and Jupiter square Uranus (fascinating: it would pertain to peristalsis), all middleground. - I see a broader picture here of diverse body problems, serious colon inflammation (Mars in Aries), and perhaps Moon's implication by being in the immediate background and in a health-related aspect).

SHINZO ABE. Ulcerative colitis. Gemini Moon opposite Sagittarius Mars: Again, an extremely inflammatory aspect to Moon (background) without the signs showing anything particular. Other hard aspects include Jupiter-Uranus conjunction square Neptune (not relevant unless the peristalsis issue is involved or, more broadly, the sympathetic nervous system's impact on digestion). Pluto is also closely rising as we saw in one earlier example. I think it's just the Moon-Mars, frankly!

[Jim Eshelman]

Type 1 diabetes (juvenile diabetes) has, in recent years, been reinterpreted as an autoimmune disease in which the immune system destroys the insulin-making cells in the pancreas. Historically, I have observed numerous cases where Venus afflictions (especially Venus-Saturn aspects) have been responsible - some of them foreground, which I've come to associate with conditions that take over the whole life from the beginning. Let's see what's evident in the same charts I have.

Celebrities diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes include Vanessa Williams, Jean Smart (no data available), Mary Tyler Moore, Carol Channing, Jerry Lewis, and Peter O'Toole (among many others I probably could have found).

VANESSA WILLIAMS. Sagittarius Moon, Cancer Mars. A Mercury-Pluto opposition along the meridian is her strongest foreground aspect. Moon is foreground in Sag and closely square Sun, usually a mark for strong vitality. But she has a background close Venus-Saturn conjunction square Neptune. There it is!

MARY TYLER MOORE. Type 1 diabetes eventually blinded her. Other lesser health concerns including a benign brain tumor late in life, then developing kidney and heart problems from which she ultimately died. Cancer Moon, Libra Mars, with a Saturn-Neptune opposition (8') across the horizon (apparently showing a lifetime of living with debilitating conditions, besides showing her great artistic talent). Moon background partile conjunct Pluto, 2' opposite Mercury, closely square Mars - a hard Moon full of health warnings. Notice the distinction that the Saturn-Neptune doesn't identify a specific medical condition but rather the broad life pattern (it does, however, equate to chronic conditions). None of the signs refer to heart and kidneys (unless Mars in Libra by reflex) and I'd say heart signs are good (Sun conjunct Jupiter middleground etc.): These were secondary complications of the primary disease, diabetes. The brain tumor is part of a known Mercury-Mars and Mercury-Pluto pattern (Mercury-Pluto "irregular brain formations," Mercury-Mars "possible brain surgery") and does anchor to Mars in Libra (head). The only cause to which I can link diabetes in particular is to interpret the background Moon aspecting Mars, Pluto, etc. to a hyperactive immune system affliction.

CAROL CHANNING. (Also survived ovarian cancer.) Scorpio Moon, Aquarius Mars. Mars-Saturn opposition and wider Venus-Saturn opposition across horizon seem to show a lifelong hardship and the pattern of Venus-Saturn foreground I've seen at times for Type 1. Sun opposite Neptune and Moon square Mercury background: I can't call the Moon afflicted, but I'm starting to see any close hard aspect to a background Moon as meaning some sort of immune system disease. Sun-Neptune shows for weakness, blood disease, and times of convalescence but (perhaps because of that sturdy foreground Mars-Saturn) she lived to 97 and died of natural causes.

JERRY LEWIS. A long list of medical problems throughout his life in addition to Type 1. He's a rare example of a strong foreground aspect really dominating his health profile, since he had a 3' Sun-Uranus conjunction on MC and suffered at least three major heart attacks and eventually died from cardiac disease. Moon in Aries, Mars in Capricorn, neither of which (I'm almost embarrassed to say) links to his long list of health problems unless Aries links to his prostate cancer (I have no opinion on whether prostate is rightly Aries or Taurus).

So we look to the aspects. Here is another case of Pluto rising, which squares a middleground Mercury (a big part of his talent and inventiveness). Sun conjunct Uranus (though closely foreground) for his bad heart health yet great vitality and endurance - and then they both square rising Pluto mundanely. Venus conjunct Jupiter middleground. - So really I have no explanation for his diabetes or many of his health problems and probably should study his chart at length, in fine detail, as a study of its own.

PETER O'TOOLE. Moon in Cancer, Mars in Gemini. Moon opposite Saturn. Mercury-Jupiter background. Venus-Mars conjunction middleground. So we have both an afflicted Moon (immune system disease?) and an afflicted non-foreground Venus. (But also Sun-Moon conjunction, foreground Uranus-Pluto square). The Moon-Saturn Cancer-Capricorn opposition is also consistent with his stomach cancer (from which he eventually died when it recurred 40 yeras later). I think he wasn't Type 1: At one point he had his pancreas and much of his stomach surgically removed which is credited for his having insulin-dependent diabetes, so it's post-surgical onset, only "Type 1" in the sense that his body wasn't producing insulin.


Overall, while these aren't perfect, I'm happy with the outcome. I'm not surprised at the Venu afflictions showing for diabetes, and mostly we still have the afflicted Moon phenomena. I have to study Jerry Lewis' chart again at length sometime. (NOTE LATER: His Novien seems to be the answer to all or most of the mystery.)

[Jim Eshelman]

The only two public figures I can find with this (with known good birth times) are George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush. This is an autoimmune disease where the immune system turns against the thyroid (sometimes causing the thyroid to increase in size), resulting in hyperthyroidism. We could add Rodney Dangerfield (no clear indication without a time), Missy Elliott (alleged birthtime has Moon background square Mercury and exactly trine an angular Mars, plus mundane Venus-Pluto; in any case, a major Taurus-Scorpio opposition), Barbara Leigh (who probably had a Moon-Mars square near Mercury), and Maggie Smith (who might have a Moon-Mars conjunct square Sun-Mercury).

Ebertin attributed Grave's disease to Moon-Mars, which is consistent with what we've been seeing above and to the general profile I'm seeing of autoimmune diseases.

So let's go with the Bushes.

GEORGE H.W. BUSH. Moon in Virgo, Mars in Aquarius. Middleground Moon partile square Venus (ecliptic) and Pluto (mundane). Almost-foreground Sun-Uranus square. (Foreground Jupiter-Uranus square.) No Moon-Mars, but the Moon-Pluto is pretty stark and intense (already suspected for autoimmune disease). Nothing identifies the throat area specifically except the foreground Jupiter in Scorpio, so I think it isn't identified. If there is a direct link it is that Moon-Venus connects to the endocrine system and hormone balance, which I find a satisfying explanation.

BARBARA BUSH. Moon opposite Mars-Pluto Sagittarius to Pisces - dead-on aspect
Also. Mars opposite Jupiter and Saturn square Neptune background. Square hit though, again, not identifying the body part.


The whole history of charts had almost invariable Moon-Mars and, when it wasn't there, Pres. Bush's Moon-Pluto. This is a very strong showing.

[Jim Eshelman]

"Hashimoto's Disease" is another example of the immune system attacking the thyroid, this time gradually destroying the gland. Goiter may be an early sign. Opposite the effect of Grave's disease, it causes hypothryroidism when sufficiently advanced.

Celebrities with this include Zoe Saldana, Kim Cattrall, and (with no public announcement of diagnosis but strong suspicion) Oprah Winfrey.

ZOE SALDANA. Hereditary and shared by her mother and sister. Scorpio Moon, Leo Mars, Venus rising. Jupiter (Gemini) square Pluto (Virgo) background. Saturn-Uranus square middleground. I see no overt signs of autoimmune or thyroid disease and it seems not to have a strong impact on her (at least yet): She manages it with diet. (In theory, Jupiter-Pluto can suggest any aberrant cell growth, but also remarkable healing conditions, i.e., her effective self-management. It may also refer primarily to her breakout and continued success and her commitment to transformative microeconomies, i.e., character traits. Her Sun came to Asc when she moved to LA, so she has unusually high vitality and health potential while living here.)

KIM CATTRALL. No birth time known. Moon in Aquarius (MAYBE Capricorn), Mars in Aquarius. She probably has Moon opposite her exact Sun-Pluto conjunction, square Saturn. This definitely counts as an afflicted Moon and a natal pattern consistent with all sorts of extreme positive and negative outcomes. Also Mercury opposite Mars.

OPRAH WINFREY? Oprah may have Hashimoto's or another thyroid affliction. Natally, she's vulnerable to hormonal imbalance (including thyroid problems specifically) with her highly emphasized middleground Venus-Saturn square. Scorpio Moon, Libra Mars, her strongest background aspect is Mars square Pluto (with many positives and some negatives showing in her life). Moon is background mostly unaspected.

[Jim Eshelman]

This is a big one! If we can find a pattern that makes MS clear in advance, we've really accomplished something.

Simply: MS is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system eats the protective coating of nerves in the brain and spine, so that they lose their ability to conduct electrical currents. Celebrities on record with MS diagnoses include Richard Pryor, Teri Garr, Jim Lovell, Carrie Underwood, Bill Clinton, Christina Applegate, Montel Williams, and Tyler Perry.

RICHARD PRYOR. Sagittarius Moon, Libra Aries, Neptune close angular. Moon square Saturn gives the afflicted Moon. Mercury opposite Uranus middleground speaks to neurological problems and specifically the issue of electrical conductivity of the nerves in the brain and elsewhere. Venus-Mars opposite Jupiter-Saturn middleground, with Venus and Jupiter also square Pluto (background), pointing to all sorts of character and potential health matters (Venus-Jupiter is closest). I'll settle for afflicted Moon plus the Mercury-Uranus.

TERI GARR. Uncertainty about reliability of birth time and even the place of birth (LA or Ohio). Regardless, she had Libra Moon, Scorpio Mars, and a partile Mercury-Saturn opposition square Neptune, which (if the time is correct and for either location) is in the immediate foreground. This, however, sounds like a square hit for a neurological disorder with several kinds of life impacts. It also shows the ruptured brain aneurism that threw into coma for a while. I wish we had a better time: Mars opposite Uranus (foreground? background?) shows eruptions and also electrical signals to muscles. Moon's only hard aspect for the reputed time is a square to Venus, which still might be relevant if immediately background instead of foreground. If the 9:30 time is correct but for Lakewood, Ohio instead of LA, she has a mundane Moon-Mercury-Saturn T on the angles (with the Neptune square ecliptically), which is a dead-on marker for afflicted immune system limiting mobility by attacking the nervous system - but we just don't know for sure.

JIM LOVELL. Aries Moon, Capricorn Mars. (Notice that these sign placements haven't been relevant usually for the autoimmune diseases.) The main aspect is here: Moon square Mars! We also have background Sun-Uranus; middleground Mercury-Venus (square Moon) and Mars-Neptune (widely square Moon); mixed Jupiter-Pluto (Jupiter background, Pluto foreground). The main indicator, then, is Moon square Mars.

ANNETTE FUNICELLO. Pisces Moon, Virgo Mars. Moon opposite Mars again! (Venus-Mars 0°10' is conjunct Sun, opposite Moon, and square Jupiter middleground. You need the mundoscope to see most of these.)

CARRIE UNDERWOOD. Birthtime unconfirmed but going with the one reported. The chart is hard with Saturn-Pluto conjoined on IC with Moon square Saturn foreground - so we have the angular Moon. She also has Mercury square Uranus (the electrical properties of the nerves, already seen).

BILL CLINTON. I was surprised to learn he'd been diagnosed early in his first term. Symptoms haven't been heavy (he's more known for his bypass surgery), but it's there. Aries Moon, Virgo Mars, with a partile Mars-Neptune conjunction rising. (I could read this as muscular weakening, but not much more.) Mundanely, Mercury conjoins Pluto for irregular neurology. Moon isn't afflicted: I wouldn't have picked out this case.

CHRISTINA APPLEGATE. Recent MS after earlier treating and surviving breast cancer. Here we go again: Moon conjunct Mars! (If we had a large, neutrally selected sample, this Moon-Mars and lesser Moon-Saturn recurrence for autoimmune diseases would blow the journals away!). Other had aspects include middleground Sun conjunct Neptune and both opposite Saturn, and foreground Mercury conjunct Venus. The Sun-Saturn-Neptune would suggest much debilitation in her life (as well as positive things like her ability to succeed in the arts). Moon-Mars fits the breast cancer and surgery, and the autoimmune disease (MS).

MONTEL WILLIAMS. No birth time, hard to see what might be here. Aries Moon, Aquarius Mars (I've begun to wonder if Aries Moon fits spastic disorders similar to the too-much-energy-too-fast pattern behind stuttering). Besides Mercury-Venus conjunction he has a Jupiter-Saturn-Pluto triplet (see how often Mercury-Venus and Jupiter-Pluto keep appearing in all these charts today?) but I can't say there is a clear pattern without a timed birth.

TYLER PERRY. Virgo Moon, Sagittarius Mars. Moon seems positive, conjunct Mercury and Jupiter (certainly consistent with his professional success). His strong background aspect is Mars square Pluto. (Mundanely, this becomes Sun conjunct Pluto, both square Mars, with Sun precisely background). - Sun's sign (Leo) doesn't seem relevant unless we think of spine as the neural cluster (but we haven't seen that sort of thing so far, so I think we should ignore it). - Sun-Mars refers to the muscles and general strength, vitality, metabolism, etc. Sun-Pluto (to put it simply) refers to outlier conditions and strange disruptions. Mars-Pluto refers to extreme energy, catabolic processes, cell inflammation. These muscle effects are fine (descriptive) but nothing we have seen before as being basic to MS is showing here - no sign of autoimmune reaction, no neural attack, all of that seeming protected in the foreground Moon-Mercury-Jupiter conjunction. Though I'm not going to second-guess the doctors, my firs reaction to question the diagnosis. (Evidently there are still things to unlock in this chart and/or this disease.)

[Jim Eshelman]

GBS results from the immune system attacking the peripheral nervous system - the nerves that are outside the brain and spinal cord, e.g., to control movement of our limbs. It comes on fast - sometimes within a few hours, usually within a few weeks - and, at its worst, can affect breathing muscles (among other secondary symptoms).

Ebertin attributed it to Saturn-Neptune. I've listed it for Saturn-Neptune as one example of afflictions causing weakness, immobility, etc.

Celebrities diagnosed with this include Andy Griffith, Joseph Heller, and Luci Baines Johnson.

ANDY GRIFFITH. The disease initially affected his muscles from knees down, so that he couldn't walk for a while. Capricorn Moon, Mars in Aquarius (he also had heart trouble and eventually died of compounded cardiovascular disease). Moon is opposite Neptune (49') and square Saturn 15', with partile Saturn-Neptune square - the exact aspect mentioned above and a clear affliction of debilited Moon. - Notice that the Cancer-Capricorn axis (Moon-Neptune, squared by Saturn in Aries) rules the knees.

JOSEPH HELLER. No time known. Moon in Libra (possibly Scorpio, which matches his literary output better), Mars in Taurus. The one close ecliptical hard aspect is Jupiter square Neptune which tells us nothing useful. (If born very early in the day, he'd have had a Moon-Neptune square.) - BTW, though normally not a serious health consideration, he had a 22' Saturn-Neptune sextile.

LUCI BAINES JOHNSON. Whatever it means, her doctors at Mayo Clinic called her case "less severe than usual" and she recovered fully, so it might have been more appropriate for a transit event than a natal condition. Sagittarius Moon, Taurus Mars. Background Venus-Uranus opposite her Moon; middleground Saturn-Pluto; foreground Sun-Neptune and Mercury-Neptune. (The Mercury-Neptune seems to fit the event, but foreground would rarely do this. The only hint of an autoimmune disease seems to be the background Moon opposite two planets.)

Since it seems more of a time-limited event (April 2010, no date given, living in Austin), a quick check shows that solar arc Saturn 14°18' Virgo was 14' from conjunct natal Neptune - again the Saturn-Neptune! The lucky outcome was likely directed Jupiter 0°34' from her Descendant. This was also the month of progressed Moon-Neptune opposition square natal Sun (but under a p Sun-Venus conjunction). Finally, transiting Saturn squared her Moon that month (mid-to-late April). So, at the time of the disease she had all the aspects we might expect the natal chart to have if it weren't a passing incident, i.e., Moon-Saturn and Saturn-Neptune (with various Moon-Saturn-Neptune pileups on natal Sun-Neptune).

Well, one thing's for sure - the Saturn-Neptune key is dead-on!

[Jim Eshelman]

By now you can surely guess that rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks one's own joints. Besides the usual pain and stiffness issues with other forms of arthritis, RA can bring fever and loss of energy and affect many other body parts such as eyes, lungs, heart, nerves and blood, lowering the red blood cell count or inflaming tissues around the heart or lungs.

Will this show as any other autoimmune we've studied? Or as an inflammatory disease? Or show specifically for skeleton and joint matters? - Let's see.

Celebrities diagnosed with RA include Lucille Ball, Auguste Renoir, Camryn Manheim, Kathleen Turner, Tatum O'Neal, Rosalind Russell, and James Coburn.

LUCILLE BALL. Originating event was likely rheumatic fever about 1928. Sagittarius Moon rising, Aries Mars. Middleground Sun-Mars square (with Sun in Cancer, the joints!). Middleground Jupiter-Uranus-Neptune mundane T probably not involved. I think the rheumatoid arthritis and her eventual fatal aortic aneurisms are related to this Sun-Mars square.

PIERRE-AUGUSTE RENOIR. Pisces Moon, Libra Mars, Neptune precisely rising. Middleground Moon conjunct Venus and Pluto (shows both an immune system impact and the artist). Background Mars-Pluto opposition. Middleground Mercury-Uranus and Jupiter-Uranus. I wonder if that very health-important Mars-Pluto was involved in inflammation of the disease. In any case, the immune vulnerability is surely the ecliptic Moon-Pluto, with mundane Mars-Pluto (and perhaps his natal rising Neptune) also involved.

CAMRYN MANHEIM. Scorpio Moon, Gemini Mars. Background Mercury-Uranus opposition. Middleground Venus-Jupiter-Saturn. Mars is closely rising partile (mundane) square Pluto on IC and, though foreground, it seems to have a lot to do with this disease, probably as inflammation: This and her Scorpio Moon give me a broad sense that "inflammation" is a big theme in her life. When she was at a common friend's monthly gatherings, we never talked about her disease (I don't recall knowing about it). Moon is background but not afflicted - I can't see anything clear except the Scorpio Moon compounded with the foreground Mars-Pluto square, rising Mars, other signs of inflammation.

KATHLEEN TURNER. Another Mars-rising chart. Capricorn Moon (bones as reflex from Cancer?), Sagittarius Mars. Moon opposes Venus. Middleground Venus-Saturn, Mercury-Uranus, Saturn-Uranus. (Foreground Mars-Jupiter-Neptune, Uranus-Neptune.) I'm not sure what the pattern is other than the underlying inflammation. (It struck in 1992, date unknown. Solar arc Mars conjunct her Moon fulfilled the pattern.)

TATUM O'NEAL. Gemini Moon, Scorpio Mars. Background Mars-Uranus, Uranus-Pluto. Middleground Sun-Mercury-Neptune and Saturn-Neptune. There actually is an exact Moon aspect but it's to Eris, so I'm not counting it at the moment. She's had back surgery and perhaps more coming. The Saturn-Neptune aspects in some of these may be important.

ROSALIND RUSSELL. (Died of breast cancer.) Pices Moon, Sagittarius Mars. Moon-Neptune square. Background Jupiter-Uranus-Neptune; non-foreground Mercury-Pluto square Saturn. None of this is clear except the close Moon-Neptune mundane square (I'm not yet convinced the rest applies to bones etc.). - Oh, wait, her Mars is stationary!

JAMES COBURN. (Quite severe, restricting, painful.) Aquarius Moon, Taurus Mars. Moon-Mercury-Venus and Moon-Uranus (foreground). Background Mars-Saturn opposition. (Venus-Uranus foreground.)


In summary, this one does not show usually as afflicted Moon, i.e., not like what I think is the profile of autoimmune diseases. Instead, it shows primarily as inflammation. The main elements seem to be: Lucille Ball a non-angular Sun-Mars square (possibly tied to joints via Cancer); Rodin did have a crisis aspect to Moon, but I think the background Mars-Pluto was more important; Camryn Manheim has chart overall showing inflammation tendency including rising Mars, Mars-Pluto, and Scorpio Moon; Kathleen Turner also was rising Mars but especially showed for when the disease first struck; Tatum O'Neal has broad debility (like Sun-Neptune) and a Saturn-Neptune probably involved; Rosalind Russell is more vague, perhaps the Moon-Neptune square which seems atypical; and Coburn had that characteristic Mars-Saturn.

[Jim Eshelman]

Lupus is a broad term for a collection of diseases (or symptom sets) that seem to be simply hyperactivity of the immune system so that it attacks all sorts of things. Joint swelling and pain are the most common symptoms, with many variations of other symptom or forms.

Celebrities identified as having lupus include Selena Gomez (needed a kidney transplant) Lady Gaga (borderline positive test, few symptoms, also no birth time), Michael Jackson (but tied to his vitiligo, seen above), Ray Walston (died from it), Toni Braxton, and a high expectation of Louisa May Alcott.

RAY WALSTON. Aries Moon, Scorpio Mars, Neptune at MC. Moon-Uranus sq (foreground). Background Saturn-Pluto (0°01'); middleground Sun-Jupiter, Mercury-Mars. Sun-Uranus.

SELENA GOMEZ. (Birth time reliability questionable.) Aries Moon, Taurus Mars. Aries fits the need for kidney replacement. Middleground Mercury to Saturn-Pluto, middleground Mars-Pluto, background Uranus-Neptune background. (Foreground Moon-Sun.)

LADY GAGA. (No time known. I'm using an experimental 9:53 AM but not relying on angles.) Libra Moon, Sagittarius Mars. Sun-Neptune, Jupiter-Saturn. Moon could be involved with Pluto depending on time. Primarily I see Sun-Neptune as theoretically possible.

TONI BRAXTON. (No birth time.) Scorpio Moon, Scorpio Mars. Hard to tell without a time, but she has Mars-Pluto square and a generally inflammatory chart.

LOUISA MAY ALCOTT Aquarius Moon, Taurus Mars. Moon-Mars sq is the main feature. Middleground Venus-Pluto. (Foreground Mercury-Saturn sq 36'.)

@

[Venus_Daily]

This proves my previous theory of Mars affecting inflammation. Although there does seem to be an absence of Mercury.

My poor mother is a double Capricorn with Moon/Sun closely conjunct and a loose square between Mars/Uranus with Mars closely opposite Neptune in the background. She has terrible OA, but no "inflammatory mediators" present, so I wonder if doctors are looking for the right thing. Having Mars/Uranus square Sun, I wonder if I have some sort of inflammatory issues happening with my immune system.

[Jim Eshelman]

This proves my previous theory of Mars affecting inflammation. Although there does seem to be an absence of Mercury.

Mars definitely triggers inflammation. It's a solid connection.

I'm not sure why you expected Mercury for inflammation. Can you explain?

My poor mother is a double Capricorn with Moon/Sun closely conjunct and a loose square between Mars/Uranus with Mars closely opposite Neptune in the background. She has terrible OA, but no "inflammatory mediators" present, so I wonder if doctors are looking for the right thing.

The Capricorn, of course, is symbolically right. No inflammation aspects in either the horoscope or mundoscope? No angular Mars? Would you like to post her data in a new thread?

Having Mars/Uranus square Sun, I wonder if I have some sort of inflammatory issues happening with my immune system.

There's more inflammation running around than people think about, especially because people are carboholics and carbs are inflammatory. In your case, there likely is some because Scorpio Moon and Mars have been showing for that, and isn't your Mars-Uranus foreground? I don't think I have a solid handle on Mars-Urans yet (aside from being accident prone and probable adrenaline surges)- in theory, it has something to do with electrical stimulus of muscles and how that works, and probably anything to do with fight-or-flight (again: adrenaline etc.). Sun-Mars also pushes adrenaline hard and can be inflammatory. However, you have Mars-Uranus foreground so it's not as health-leaning.

Mars-Uranus is interesting. A few minutes ago, I pulled up Michael J. Fox's chart to see how his Parkinson's showed. The sense of severe debilitation is evident enough with Moon square Saturn and Neptune (one ecliptical, the other mundane). Then he has a 0°22' Mars-Uranus mundane conjunction within 2° of Descendant. Sure, muscle spasticity as a big issue in his life, strange firing off of muscles - but is that the actual cause? The afflicted Moon is very clear, but what exactly is Parkinson's? It's ultimately a dopamine deficiency, isn't it? And what rules dopamine? Is that afflicted ARIES Moon involved because dopamine is produced in the adrenals (= Aries)? Or since Moon is also conjunct Venus, does Venus (pleasure-reward, limbic and nearby areas) pertain to dopamine? There is SO MUCH to learn here. I suppose I need a few more Parkinson's charts for comparison.

And speaking of "Where's the Mercury?", PD is a disease of the central nervous system - and Fox doesn't have any Mercury afflictions. It IS background, but no hard aspects - though there is a partile trine to Neptune. Is that enough?

[Venus_Daily]

Funny you mention muscle spacity. I've always had an essential tremor, people noticed since childhood, but since my hormones screwed up with my pituitary problem, the issue has gotten much, much worse. I often feel like my entire body can shake out of nowhere, and I get extremely nervous. I guess stimulants are my enemy.