Blavatsky

[Jim Eshelman]

Helena Petrovna Blavatsky was born July 31, 1831 (OS) in Ekaterinolav, Russian Empire (today Ukraine). But what was the time?

On looking anew, I find that the data isn't as mixed up as I though. Its contained within a few hours, with only one time actually coming from an explicit source. Astro.com lists numerous sources, but when we rule out those that someone just thought were a good idea and look at anything that is or might be an actual record, we get he following:

HPB told Sepharial (whom she knew well) that she was born between midnight and sunrise. As sunrise was 4:48 AM LMT that morning, we have a time period of less than five hours.

Alan Leo wrote that Blavatsky "gave her time of birth to an astrologer in New York on her last visit there. According to her own account, August 12, 40 minutes before sunrise." This would have been 4:08 AM, the time of the chart I've had stashed in my files for years. - This is unclear provenance, but entirely credible (and Leo, who cared a great deal about the matter and had more information at the time, seems to have thought it was true).

Various magazine articles gave various times, though without giving an actual source.

If I didn't have this last information and had attempted a rectification, I'd have started with the statement she was born between midnight and sunrise (4:48 AM) and used the middle of that time (2:24 AM), knowing I'd be within two hours or so of the right answer. Astro.com accepts 2:17 AM (I'm not sure from what source), Ronald Davison rectified to 2:33 AM, and Starkman rectified to 2.34 AM, almost the same thing.

Before concluding that the agreeing rectifications in the middle of the possible time are perhaps correct, I want to consider the time we have from her, "40 minutes before sunrise." There is a legitimate question of whether "sunrise" meant actual visual sunrises or some other "getting light" stage, but it's still a narrow window; so 4:08 AM LMT seems the best starting place.

[Jim Eshelman]

Before checking events, let's look at what we already know from the chart.

First, she had Sun in Cancer, Moon in Virgo. This alone tells you three-fourths of what you want to know about her - read those interpretations and see.

Second, Sun closely opposed Jupiter (she was born of a wealthy family and rose to persisting international fame). For the entire period under consideration, Moon opposed Pluto (opposite to the minute of arc at 40 minutes before sunrise, but in orb of close opposition the entire five hours). Since Pluto wasn't discovered in her lifetime, no theorizing on her time came from this.

Put her chart on a 90° dial without angles and, in addition to the Sun-Jupiter and Moon-Pluto, one immediately sees the nearly precise Mars-Saturn conjunction. Sun-Jupiter, Moon-Pluto, and Mars-Saturn describe the cigar-smoking, foul-mouthed, brilliant, eminent transformer of 19th and 20th century thought (in East and West alike) pretty well - all within the framework of the penetrating scholarship of her Cancer Sun and Virgo Moon.

[Jim Eshelman]

She died during a virulent flu epidemic May 8, 1891 in the afternoon at Annie Besant's house in Westminster, London.

For the 4:08 AM time, progressed Moon was 19°49' Scorpio. Transiting Mars was 19°18' Taurus at noon on her last day (with Jupiter at 19°28' Aquarius); we should also note other planets nearby, like t Saturn and p Saturn both 17° Leo, though birth would have to have been nearly at midnight for those to be exact. Solar arcs were not interesting.

For this time, her final SSR looks vital, strong, and positive. Her final SLR is unremarkable, especially for adverse conditions. Her final Demi-SLR shows unusual vitality, good fortune, or at least a last-minute reprieve.

No, none of the basic techniques speak to this event at all. Let's go back to halfway between midnight and sunrise and see what we get.

[Jim Eshelman]

As mentioned above, HPB died during a virulent flu epidemic May 8, 1891 in the afternoon in Westminster, London. Let's start with a chart for 2:24 AM (the middle of the midnight-to-sunrise period) and see where it takes us.

Progressed Moon at death for this birth time is 18°56' Scorpio. This is still within 1° of transiting Mars (19°18' Taurus at noon) and a little farther from transiting Jupiter (19°28' Aquarius). It was also almost within a degree of progressed Saturn (17°55' Leo). All of this suggests that, from progressed Moon aspects, the time still works and, in fact, would benefit from being a bit earlier if anything. - Solar arcs were boring.

The SSR is mixed. On first impression, we see just transiting Jupiter, but it also brings the natal Moon-Pluto opposition near meridian (squared by SSR Moon). It could go either way.

The final SLR has natal Sun-Jupiter along the meridian far too positive. (An hour later would have provided a far better chart.) The Demi-SLR is adequate as an approximation (which is all we intended), and would be improved by a slightly earlier time.

This chart is also suspicious to me because it places her natal Sun-Jupiter opposition on the meridian for Westminster, England. This, by itself, would be excellent - but, for the day of her death, transiting Sun squared her Sun-Jupiter. The transit alone is fine, but the transit as part of a narrowly angular pattern for the location is a bit much.

[Jim Eshelman]

These charts suggested a time approximately an hour later. This leads me to want to explore different interpretations of "sunrise." (For example, we don't know that Blavatsky herself said "sunrise." It's a third-hand quote, though carried by people who cared about her and astrology. But she could have said "daybreak" or "dawn," or her family could have meant "when it got light."

Nautical twilight begins when the Sun is 12° below the horizon (the first, faint illumination starts sufficient to see the horizon at sea). Civil dawn (when you can see more or less everything but Sun hasn't broken horizon yet) starts at Sun 6° below horizon. On the date and place of Blavatsky's birth, nautical twilight began at 3:28 AM and civil dawn at 4:13 AM.

If she was born 40 minutes before civil dawn (40 minutes before it was light enough to see more or less everything you can see during the day), this would be 3:33 AM.


As mentioned above, HPB died during a virulent flu epidemic May 8, 1891 in the afternoon in Westminster, London. Let's see where the 3:33 AM time takes us. Progressed Moon is 19°32' Scorpio, so it's still right in the middle of that longer Jupiter transit and quicker Mars transit.

For the first time, we get something interesting with the solar arcs: Her natal 0°07' Mars-Saturn conjunction had reached 9° Libra by solar arc. For 3:33 AM, natal Asc was 11°39' Cancer. The chart would have been perfect with an Ascendant at 8°44' Cancer (3:18 AM).

For this time, the final SLR is quite complicated - we need to get closer to a final time to assess it. A Jupiter-Saturn opposition crosses the meridian with transiting Neptune and Pluto plus natal Mars-Saturn near angles. The same rollback to a 3:18 AM time (suggested by the solar arcs) likely will put natal Mars-Saturn exactly angular!

OK, that's a big enough deal to check it: For a 3:18 AM birth time (40 minutes before civil dawn), the final SLR shows:

r Saturn on IC 0°15'
r Mars on IC 0°22'
t Pluto on EP-a 0°29'
-- t Pluto sq r Saturn 23' in RA
-- t Pluto sq r Mars 40' in RA
t Neptune on EP 0°55'

Match this to the solar arcs: d Saturn sq r Asc 0°01', d Mars sq r Asc 0°06'. The final timing, then, appears to be transiting Mars exactly opposing progressed Moon.

The May 5 demi was then a lesser chart, marked primarily by transiting Uranus on Asc.

[Jim Eshelman]

The proposed chart:

HPB.png